Art Carden

Senior Fellow

Art Carden is a Senior Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. He is also an Associate Professor of Economics at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama and a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute.

  • Extend the Market, As Far as Possible

    “Private enterprise and private governance pushed along by people seeking little more than their own advantages work remarkably well. If you want more evidence, look no further than the package on your doorstep.” ~ Art Carden

    Extend the Market, As Far as Possible
  • Rand Paul Is Right About Experts

    “An expert is very well-positioned to say “if you do these things, then you can expect the following effects with the following probabilities.” Only in the most extraordinary of circumstances—and even then, I’m still extremely skeptical—should they presume to tell others exactly which choices they should make.” ~ Art Carden

    Rand Paul Is Right About Experts
  • Opposing Subsidies Isn’t Opposing What’s Subsidized: Bastiat’s Lesson

    “Among the dead and largely forgotten, Bastiat is worth reading for the depth of his insight and the clarity of his exposition. His articles and essays expose the hidden absurdity of a lot of proposals to “encourage the national labour” by subsidizing the arts, by blocking out the sun to benefit the candlemakers, or by…

    Opposing Subsidies Isn’t Opposing What’s Subsidized: Bastiat’s Lesson
  • Robert William Fogel (1926-2013): A Birthday Appreciation

    His students report that Fogel had a dictum: If it’s worth doing, it’s worth spending ten years of your life doing it right. Fogel was a master at finding the right questions, finding the right methods and data to answer them, and–importantly–putting in the work to ensure that in the long run, we get things…

    Robert William Fogel (1926-2013): A Birthday Appreciation
  • “The Most Brilliant Economic Journalist Who Ever Lived”: A Birthday Appreciation of Frederic Bastiat

    “Bastiat was one of the nineteenth century’s most eloquent defenders of liberty and dignity, and Joseph Schumpeter was clearly right to describe him as “the most brilliant economic journalist who ever lived.” He has heirs, but no equals.” ~ Art Carden

    “The Most Brilliant Economic Journalist Who Ever Lived”: A Birthday Appreciation of Frederic Bastiat
  • Slavery Did Not Enrich Americans

    “The New History of Capitalism misfires badly, however, in its interpretation of these facts. Slavery was not necessary for cotton, and cotton was not necessary for industrialization. Had chattel slavery never taken hold in the United States, we would very likely be richer than we are today.” ~ Art Carden

    Slavery Did Not Enrich Americans
  • It’s Not Regulation that Keeps Your Food Safe

    “Enjoy — in moderation. The strangers are looking out for you, and they are all too happy to do so. Why? Because by looking out for you, they are better equipped to look out for the non-strangers in their lives.” ~ Art Carden

    It’s Not Regulation that Keeps Your Food Safe
  • Managing the Chessboard of Human Society: Lessons from the Online Chessboard

    ” It seems reasonable that we will never actually master every possible detail of chess, Monopoly, and other games. If games that happen within very well-defined spaces according to very well-defined rules present such insurmountable difficulties, I’m definitely skeptical of the notion that we can design and control a great society.” ~ Art Carden

    Managing the Chessboard of Human Society: Lessons from the Online Chessboard
  • The Trust Revolution

    “By and large, Henderson and Churi are correct: developing microregulatory technology is part of a “trust revolution,” and one that promises to change and direct the 21st century economy and beyond.” ~ Art Carden

    The Trust Revolution
  • The Market Loves You–And Your Little Dog, Too

    “It seems pretty clear from our experience getting a dog that the market doesn’t just love us–it loves our dog, too.” ~ Art Carden

    The Market Loves You–And Your Little Dog, Too