Thursday, January 13, 2011
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Prosperity Index Shows That Democracy Still Works Best - Joel Kotkin - New Geographer - Forbes
Prosperity Index Shows That Democracy Still Works Best - Joel Kotkin - New Geographer - Forbes
But still, according a new study by my colleagues at the Legatum Institute, when it comes to delivering the best economic environment for people and families various forms of liberal capitalism still perform best.The Legatum Prosperity Index found that all the more prosperous places – not only by income, but by quality of life, environment, education and health care – almost exclusively are democratic states. “Prosperity,” the report concludes, “is found in entrepreneurial democracies that have strong social fabrics.”
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Tony Blair Takes on the World: An Excerpt From 'A Journey' - WSJ.com
Tony Blair Takes on the World: An Excerpt From 'A Journey' - WSJ.com
"To summarize: I profoundly disagree with the statist, so-called Keynesian response to the economic crisis; I believe we should be projecting strength and determination abroad, not weakness or uncertainty; I think now is the moment for more government reform, not less; and I am convinced we have a huge opportunity for engagement with the new emerging and emerged powers in the world, particularly China, if we approach that task with confidence, not fear.
In short, we have become too apologetic, too feeble, too inhibited, too imbued with doubt and too lacking in mission. Our way of life, our values, the things that made us great, remain not simply as a testament to us as nations but as harbingers of human progress. They are not relics of a once powerful politics; they are the living spirit of the optimistic view of human history. All we need to do is to understand that they have to be reapplied to changing circumstances, not relinquished as redundant. "
"To summarize: I profoundly disagree with the statist, so-called Keynesian response to the economic crisis; I believe we should be projecting strength and determination abroad, not weakness or uncertainty; I think now is the moment for more government reform, not less; and I am convinced we have a huge opportunity for engagement with the new emerging and emerged powers in the world, particularly China, if we approach that task with confidence, not fear.
In short, we have become too apologetic, too feeble, too inhibited, too imbued with doubt and too lacking in mission. Our way of life, our values, the things that made us great, remain not simply as a testament to us as nations but as harbingers of human progress. They are not relics of a once powerful politics; they are the living spirit of the optimistic view of human history. All we need to do is to understand that they have to be reapplied to changing circumstances, not relinquished as redundant. "
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Book Review - The Price of Altruism - By Oren Harman - NYTimes.com
Book Review - The Price of Altruism - By Oren Harman - NYTimes.com
"But “The Price of Altruism” is about far more than Price himself. It covers the entire 150-year history of scientists’ researching, debating and bickering about a theoretical problem that lies at the core of behavioral biology, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology: Why is it that organisms sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others?"
Sounds like a good read both for those who have an interest in the altruism puzzle and like the histrory of ideas in general.
"But “The Price of Altruism” is about far more than Price himself. It covers the entire 150-year history of scientists’ researching, debating and bickering about a theoretical problem that lies at the core of behavioral biology, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology: Why is it that organisms sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others?"
Sounds like a good read both for those who have an interest in the altruism puzzle and like the histrory of ideas in general.
Essay - Hayek - The Back Story - NYTimes.com
Essay - Hayek - The Back Story - NYTimes.com
"As it happens, “The Road to Serfdom” — a classic attack on government planning as an inevitable step toward totalitarianism, published in 1944 and kept in print since then by the University of Chicago Press — had already begun a comeback of sorts. It sold 27,000 copies in 2009, up from about 7,000 a year before the inauguration of Barack Obama. But Beck’s endorsement catapulted the book to No. 1 at Amazon.com, bringing a temporary end to at least one tyranny, that of Stieg Larsson. Since the program was broadcast on June 8, 100,000 copies have been sold. "
It is nice to see a Hayek resurgence. But Hayek is a better and more profound writer than most who write about him. So if you are unfamiliar with Hayek's works, you are better off skipping the commentary pro and con and going directly to his "The Road to Serfdom," or even better "The Constitution of Liberty."
"As it happens, “The Road to Serfdom” — a classic attack on government planning as an inevitable step toward totalitarianism, published in 1944 and kept in print since then by the University of Chicago Press — had already begun a comeback of sorts. It sold 27,000 copies in 2009, up from about 7,000 a year before the inauguration of Barack Obama. But Beck’s endorsement catapulted the book to No. 1 at Amazon.com, bringing a temporary end to at least one tyranny, that of Stieg Larsson. Since the program was broadcast on June 8, 100,000 copies have been sold. "
It is nice to see a Hayek resurgence. But Hayek is a better and more profound writer than most who write about him. So if you are unfamiliar with Hayek's works, you are better off skipping the commentary pro and con and going directly to his "The Road to Serfdom," or even better "The Constitution of Liberty."
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
'High Financier' Book Excerpt - WSJ.com
'High Financier' Book Excerpt - WSJ.com
"From the moment he hit the headlines with the first ever hostile takeover bid in 1959 until his death in 1982, Siegmund Warburg was the City's presiding genius, a brilliant exponent of high finance – haute banque, as he liked to call it – who saw with unrivalled prescience the possibilities of global financial reintegration after the calamities of the Depression and two world wars. He was the architect of that transformation of economic institutions which led the Western world back to the free market after the mid-century excesses of state control"
"From the moment he hit the headlines with the first ever hostile takeover bid in 1959 until his death in 1982, Siegmund Warburg was the City's presiding genius, a brilliant exponent of high finance – haute banque, as he liked to call it – who saw with unrivalled prescience the possibilities of global financial reintegration after the calamities of the Depression and two world wars. He was the architect of that transformation of economic institutions which led the Western world back to the free market after the mid-century excesses of state control"
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Op-Ed Columnist - A Little Economic Realism - NYTimes.com
Op-Ed Columnist - A Little Economic Realism - NYTimes.com
"Moreover, public spending seems to have odd knock-off effects. Professors Lauren Cohen, Joshua Coval and Christopher Malloy of Harvard surveyed 42 years of government spending increases in certain Congressional districts. They found that federal spending increases dampened corporate hiring and investment in those districts. You wish somebody could explain that one to you before you pass on more debt burdens to your grandchildren. "
"Moreover, public spending seems to have odd knock-off effects. Professors Lauren Cohen, Joshua Coval and Christopher Malloy of Harvard surveyed 42 years of government spending increases in certain Congressional districts. They found that federal spending increases dampened corporate hiring and investment in those districts. You wish somebody could explain that one to you before you pass on more debt burdens to your grandchildren. "
Monday, June 21, 2010
Germany Rejects Obama's Call on Growth, Stoking G-20 Conflict - Bloomberg
Germany Rejects Obama's Call on Growth, Stoking G-20 Conflict - Bloomberg
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government rebuffed U.S. calls to focus on bolstering growth over debt reduction, setting a course for conflict at the Group of 20 summit in Canada this week.
“Nobody can seriously dispute that excessive public debts, not only in Europe, are one of the main causes of this crisis,” Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told reporters in Berlin today alongside Merkel. “That’s why they have to be reduced.”
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Arthur Brooks: Slouching Towards Athens - WSJ.com
Arthur Brooks: Slouching Towards Athens - WSJ.com: "A predictable corollary: Many Europeans also expect others to work so they can live. The International Social Survey Programme asked Americans and Europeans whether they believe 'It is the responsibility of the government to reduce the differences in income between people with high incomes and those with low incomes.' In virtually all of Western Europe more than 50% agree, and in many countries it is much higher—77% in Spain, whose redistributive economy is in shambles. Meanwhile, only 33% of Americans agree with income redistribution."
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Geithner Tells G-20 That World Can't Rely on U.S. Consumer - WSJ.com
Geithner Tells G-20 That World Can't Rely on U.S. Consumer - WSJ.com: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told his foreign counterparts in blunt terms this week that they can no longer count on the American consumer to absorb the world's exports and lift the global economy"
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Europe's Missing Foundations - International - The Atlantic
Europe's Missing Foundations - International - The Atlantic: "When did a united Europe ever capture the imagination of many of its residents? The European project was an elite-driven, top-down affair from the outset. Its leaders took the view, often explicitly, that Europe's voters did not know what was good for them and would have to be led to enlightenment. There was never any willingness to let public indifference or outright hostility moderate the pace. For the most part, voters were not consulted. When they were, and voted No in the occasional referendum on further transfer of power to Brussels, governments resolved to keep on asking until voters got it right."
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Book Review - The Crisis of Capitalist Democracy - By Richard A. Posner - NYTimes.com
Book Review - The Crisis of Capitalist Democracy - By Richard A. Posner - NYTimes.com: "In Posner’s eyes, we are living through a second depression. The root causes were a failure of monetary policy (the Fed kept its short-term interest rate too low between 2001 and 2004), a failure of regulatory oversight (the Federal Reserve and the S.E.C. were “asleep at the switch”) and a failure of intellectual rigor (economists claimed that the enlightened self-interest of bankers and shareholders would suffice to prevent such a crisis)."
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Nearly half of US households escape fed income tax - Yahoo! Finance
Nearly half of US households escape fed income tax - Yahoo! Finance: "About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. That's according to projections by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization."
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