Were public interest or public choice factors the primary reason for the adoption of state barber licensure in the United States during the Progressive Era? The primary public interest rationale for licensure was to protect the public from a communicable disease known as the “barber’s...

What is the relevancy of modern Austrian economics? Austrian economics, from its origins, has attempted to push economics towards greater relevance by developing and refining a methodological approach that enhances the operational validity of its scientific conclusions for decision-making in the...

Is capitalism a necessary condition for political freedom? Friedrich Hayek argued that capitalism is necessary for political freedom in what is now known as the Hayek-Friedman Hypothesis. While previous empirical work using economic freedom as a proxy for capitalism has somewhat confirmed the...

The modern aim of certificate-of-need laws is to decrease healthcare costs, improve healthcare quality, and increase access to healthcare by restricting healthcare expenditures. But, by empowering incumbent healthcare providers to restrict competition, they can also increase healthcare costs,...

n the midst of the current financial crisis the economics profession has seen a monumental resurrection of Keynesian ideas. The debate, which Keynes started back in the 1930s, is being picked up again, not where it left off, but in exactly the same place it started. While Keynesian theories were...

Joplin, Missouri, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, were both devastated by deadly tornadoes in 2011, but have pursued different approaches to recovery. Tuscaloosa followed the new normal path of developing a detailed recovery plan, while Joplin eschewed planning and allowed businesses and homeowners to...

Contemporary monetary institutions are flawed at a foundational level. The reigning paradigm in monetary policy holds up constrained discretion as the preferred operating framework for central banks. But no matter how smart or well-intentioned are central bankers, discretionary policy contains...

Public pensions in the United States face an impending funding crisis in the wake of the financial crisis and the COVID-19 recession. Many cities and states will struggle to meet these growing obligations without major cuts in government services, reneging on pension promises, or raising taxes....