Scott A. Burns
Mission Accomplished? A Reality Check on Trump’s Tariffs
Triumphal rhetoric aside, the economic evidence shows tariffs delivered distortion—not a miracle.
Trump’s ‘Broken Windows’ Economy
Today's trade rhetoric, full of 'historic deals,' obscures the real question: are these policies making America richer or poorer?
The Thin Green Line
"The Fed has again taken unprecedented action to respond to a crisis. Unfortunately, it has gone further towards erasing the separating monetary and fiscal policy, to the detriment of both."…
R.I.P. Richard H. Timberlake
"Timberlake provided a blueprint for future sound money scholars to conduct thorough and well-respected research on monetary theory and history." ~ Scott Burns
The Fed Cannot Combat Coronavirus
At a campaign speech on February 29, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced her economic plan for combating COVID-19, more commonly known as the coronavirus. The Warren plan has two elements.…
Bootleggers, Baptists, and Banking
Big tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook are trying to enter the banking business. But they’re facing stiff resistance from a number of sources.
Banking the Unbanked: Lessons from the Developing World
Access to financial services, or “financial inclusion,” has long been recognized as a critical step towards escaping poverty. Having a bank account enables people to protect their savings, diversify risk, lower…
Choice in Currency for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for that special someone, who better to ask than an economist? In 1993, Yale economist Joel Waldfogel published…
Prohibition Is Ending in College Sports
The NCAA has opened the door to permitting student-athletes to get paid. That’s a good thing. There are still a lot of unanswered questions, but we shouldn’t let them get…
Krugman’s Zombie Idea: We Owe It to Ourselves
Paul Krugman claims that the national debt doesn’t matter because “we owe it to ourselves.” This “zombie idea” is dead wrong.
