We have made a complete review of Krugman’s New York Times columns 1997 through 2006—in all, 654 columns. The pattern of policy positions and arguments do not square with his purported concern for general prosperity and the interests of the poor. Some of the evidence lies in...

Drawing on the work of people with strong mainstream reputations, we distinguish model and theory. We argue that a model may qualify as theory only if it purports to answer three questions: Theory of what?, Why should we care?, What merit in your explanation? We examine the 66 regular articles...

The cogent idea of liberty or freedom—the idea as understood by everyone in the tradition of Locke, Hume, Smith, the American Founders, the Abolitionists, and so on—is that each is free to do with his property (including his person) and to enter into agreements as he sees fit,...

We examine Robert Frank’s arguments for taxation to mitigate positional externalities. The scarcity that characterizes positional goods is real, but various mechanisms reduce the potential waste, and Frank overstates the case for a governmental solution. The plausibility of Frank’s...

The September 2008 issue of Econ Journal Watch carried an essay about building an identity for “our†economics. It attempted to motivate a questionnaire on the matter, a questionnaire that was then sent out to 408 individuals, mostly economists. Responses were received from 42...