Michael Perelman: Why Adam Smith Advocated Controls Over Workers
Laissez faire, at least according to Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, doesn’t mean more freedom for workers.
Read more...Category Archives: Social values
Obesity Higher Among Long-Term Unemployed
Not only do the long-term unemployed suffer the loss of income, but they often are in worse health. They show markedly higher rates of obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure.
Read more...Randy Wray: Tax Bads, Not Goods
Under a fiat currency regime, policymakers need to rethink what they tax and why.
Read more...Plagiarism: Theft, Fraud, Betrayal (and Extenuating Circumstances)
Plagiarism is a big deal, and if unchecked will create a Gresham’s dynamic where plagiarized content dominates original material
Read more...Michael Perelman: The Fraud of Adam Smith’s Pin Factory
Adam Smith’s pin factory is more a charming tale than a representative of early industrialization or contemporary pin making.
Read more...Ariel Dorfman: A Tale of Torture and Forgiveness
Can we forgive torture?
Read more...Peter Van Buren: Taking Down the First Amendment in Post-Constitutional America
Van Buren continues his examination of what he calls the “post-Constitutional era”. He focuses on the steady erosion of freedom of speech, particularly in the media, including limits on the ability of journalists to protect sources to more self-censorship and increased antipathy towards reporting that involves the use of confidential material.
Read more...The Metaphysics of Money
Yves here. As a finance person, I can’t readily relate to the distinction the author makes between money once being seen as something tangible and it now being widely regarded as a mechanism for facilitating commerce. Nevertheless, I believe this post will resonate with many readers and thus I believe it will make for useful grist for discussion.
Read more...Bill Black: How Hayek Helped the Worst Get to the Top in Economics and as CEOs
Libertarians are profoundly anti-democratic. The folks at Cato that I debate make no bones about their disdain for and fear of democracy. Friedrich von Hayek is so popular among libertarians because of his denial of the legitimacy of democratic government and his claims that it is inherently monstrous and murderous to its own citizens.
Read more...David Cay Johnston on the Perils of Our Growing Inequality
David Cay Johnston is a clear and lively conversationalist, and I anticipate readers will enjoy his discussion of his work over the last 20 years on inequality.
Read more...Where Have All the Fiduciaries Gone? Even Rich People Can’t Escape Being Screwed
A new case filed against Deutsche Bank’s wealth management business shows that even money can’t buy safety from predatory finance.
Read more...Michael Perelman: Vietnam – Invitation to a Morass
How the Vietnam War helped usher in neoliberalism, financialization of the economy, and the use of military spending as stealth stimulus.
Read more...European Voters Deliver the Revenge of the Nation-State
Were the results of the European elections a tremor or an earthquake?
Read more...Bruce Eckle on Reinventing Business
Even if you don’t agree with all of Eckle’s views on reinventing business, his effort to identify and strip away misguided conventional wisdom is a productive place to start.
Read more...Maggie Mahar: How Doctors Stymie the Wishes of the Elderly
A detailed picture of how doctors and medical facilities stack the deck against aged patients and their relatives.
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