Books reviewed: Paul C. Cheshire and Edwin S. Mills (eds.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, Vol. 3: Applied Urban Economics Donald G. Janelle and David C. Hodge (eds.), Information, Place, and Cyberspace: Issues in Accessibility Carey McWilliams, California: The Great Exception Office...

Condy Raguet (1784-1842) was the first Chargé d'Affaires from the United States to Brazil and a conspicuous author of political economy from the 1820s to the early 1840s. He contributed to the era's free-trade doctrine as editor of influential periodicals, most notably The Banner of the...

During much of the previous era of globalization, from the 1860s until the First World War, U.S. tariffs were surprisingly high. Present-day economic historians have suggested that U.S. protection as the result of a backlash against globalization that was the beginning of its decline. They have...

In two pairs of episodes, first in 1824 and 1846 and then in 1892 and 1935, similar U.S.- Colombia trade agreements or their enabling laws were embraced first by protectionists and then by free traders. The history of the episodes supports the view that although political institutions exist to...

Adam Smith’s view of the proper role for government in commercial societies remains a source of debate. Here we sketch out in simple game-theoretic terms the numerous public-goods provision and externalities problems on display in particular in Book V of The Wealth of Nations. Casting these...