Daily economy news from the American Institute for Economic Research: data, stories, research, and articles touching on economics, politics, culture, education, policy, opinion, technology, markets, healthcare, regulation, trends, and much more.

AIER’s Editorial Policy.

1920-21 and the Great Depression

Put differently: the 1920-21 episode was, in fact, a severe, though not particularly long, recession. Allowing the money supply to fall isn’t painless. Allowing the money supply to fall in an environment of severe downward wage rigidity is VERY “not painless.” The 1920-21 episode doesn’t demonstrate that deflation is harmless. It DOES demonstrate that if you have deflation, it will be less bad if you have nominal wages that are flexible downward. That recession is the best example of why Hoover’s wage policies were such a mistake.

The Gold Standard as a “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval

In this article we argue that during the period from 1870 to 1914 adherence to the gold standard was a signal of financial rectitude, a “good housekeeping seal of approval,” that facilitated access by peripheral countries to capital from the

Sound Money Essay Contest

Sound Money Essay Contest * The Deadline for The Essay Contest has been extended! Submit your essays to SoundMoneyProject2009@AtlasNetwork.org on or before January 15th, 2010. A Monetary System for the Free Society The Atlas Economic Research Foundation is proud to

“To Prevent Bubbles, Restrain the Fed”

“The U.S. cannot afford to have another lost decade. Or to see the dreams of another generation of Americans who had been told to take responsibility for their financial health by investing in the stock market dashed by failed monetary

“Money: How it works and why”

“Money: How it works and why” Steven Horwitz part of the “Key Concepts in Free Markets” series, Fraser Forum, Vancouver, BC: Fraser Institute, April 2009, pp. 16-17. http://www.fraseramerica.org/commerce.web/product_files/KeyConcepts_Money_US.pdf

ESG: A Gordian Knot of the Highest Order

“Thanks to a complex web of CSR initiatives, aid and development programs, progressive intergovernmental agencies, and the do-good posturing of political elites, businesses will further be ensnarled to ESG.” ~Kimberlee Josephson

Lessons from the European Legislative Elections

“The prospects for market liberalization in the EU aren’t good. We can expect more business as usual, if with some important marginal cuts (notably on the EU’s aggressive and expensive environmental agenda).” ~Nikolai Wenzel

We Still Bear Eisenhower’s Cross of Iron

“We have seen the rise of the military-industrial complex, the creation of the national security state, and a bloated military that is second to none, but with a price tag to match.” ~Andrew Byers

Freedom and a Funeral for Chevron Deference

“Overturning Chevron should encourage lower courts to police agency assertions of power more closely, but it will not constrain the administrative state so long as Congress persists in enacting broad, poorly written statutes.” ~Jonathan H. Adler

But Also What If?

“The arrogance of those who wish to unleash the dogs of antitrust on CurrentlyDominant, Inc. prevents them from asking important follow-up questions.” ~Donald J Boudreaux

Who Loves Minimum Wage Laws? Kiosk Makers

“Minimum wages and workplace regulations protect some people, alright, but not the workers. Instead, these rules protect anyone who provides a substitute for the labor that workers bring to the table.” ~Art Carden

To End Poverty, Admire the Rich

“If you care about poverty, then you should encourage positive views about high levels of wealth. A country with people who think positively about the wealthy is more likely to implement market reforms which will make it easier for people to generate wealth.” ~James Hartley

ULTRAs: The Worst Idea You’ve Never Heard Of

“Instead of taking two percent (say) of the liquidated value of the wealth, the state would simply take ownership of the wealth, in place… In a relatively short time, the government literally takes substantial ownership of all successful private businesses.” ~Michael Munger

Trump, Tariffs, and Income Taxes 

“Perhaps Trump’s goal is simply to eliminate the federal income tax. If so, then he should advocate for doing that and only that. Eliminating the income tax would, in fact, make Americans richer in after-tax dollars.” ~David Hebert

The Free-Market Tories Britain Needed

“Raising economic growth prospects through policy is difficult. But Britain is now so far behind the United States and the technological frontier, that removing self-imposed barriers to growth could have delivered a meaningful boost to the country’s GDP level.” ~Ryan Bourne

Investors Make Houses More Affordable, Not Less

“Blaming high housing prices on private equity because they ‘bought up all the available homes’ is like blaming high food prices on grocery stores because they bought up all the available food.”

CBDC Ban Does Little to Bolster Financial Privacy

“The battle for safeguarding individual rights over financial information and freedom from undue government control must encompass all forms of financial transactions, whether digital or physical.” ~Nicolás Cachanosky

Policy Uncertainty Drives Economic Volatility

“Regulations often have significant compliance costs and operational challenges. The regulatory burden can stifle innovation and deter investment, particularly in industries struggling with economic headwinds.” ~Vance Ginn

Arguments Against Markets

“Those of us who want to keep government small and strictly limited — and, hence, who want individuals to make whatever peaceful choices they wish — are far outnumbered by individuals who distrust markets to deliver enough of the goods to enough of the people.” ~Donald J. Boudreaux