Amazon's HQ2 campaign drew both large support at the possibility of job creation and backlash for perceived cronyism. In this paper we evaluate corporate tax incentive policies in light of the Austrian contribution to the problem of economic calculation. In doing so we highlight the contextual...

The purpose of this chapter is an attempt to reconstruct the evolution of North's approach to understanding economic history. Underlying this evolution has been an increasing recognition of the role that transaction costs play in explaining the economic performance of different societies through...

This introduction to the special issue in honor of Professor Yoram Barzel provides an overview of his scholarship and a summary of the contributions to this special issue. Each contribution advances or elaborates upon major themes in Barzel's theoretical and applied work on property rights,...

Coase's publication of “The Lighthouse in Economics” (1974) sparked a polarizing debate over his claim that government intervention is not necessary for the existence of a private lighthouse market. The purpose of this paper is to reframe this debate by asking the following question: why was...

During the socialist calculation debate, Ludwig von Mises and F. A. Hayekmade a positive argument regarding the impossibility of economic calculationunder socialism. In this study, I argue that the arguments made by Mises andHayek have normative implications for capitalism. I do so by drawing...

What role does government play in the provision of public goods? Economists have used the lighthouse as an empirical example to illustrate the extent to which the private provision of public goods is possible. This inquiry, however, has neglected the private provision of lightships. We...

Must the rule of law spring upon us solely by accident and force, or can it also emerge as a product of political reflection and choice? As the lessons in the political and economic transition of centrally planned economies in Europe and Asia illustrate, the transitional movement requires an...

This chapter explores the connection between the rule of law and economic performance. First, we analyze the role of interjurisdictional competition, and how the rule of law emerged as a by-product of this competitive process, initially in Western Europe. Second, we discuss the role of...

This chapter explores the role of the rule of law in a market economy. The emergence of the rule of law is a precondition of not only political and economic liberty, but also economic growth and overall human progress. The presence, or lack thereof, of the rule of law determines whether human...