I mentioned some great sources of economic insight and understanding in a posting below, but I forgot to mention one of the best and richest sources out there, econlib.org. Econlib.org offers a remarkable wealth of sources, including a huge PDF library of now out-of-print (and very hard to find) texts for those interested in intellectual history and a wide range of contemporary columns by first rate economists who make the effort to communicate with the wider public. Here’s a recent column on the economics of “job protection” by one of my favorite economists, Anthony de Jasay, author of some truly wonderful books, including Justice and Its Surroundings(which I reviewed in the Vol. 22, No. 2 [Fall 2002] issue of the Cato Journal), Social Contract, Free Ride: A Study of the Public Goods Problem (which I reviewed in the Vol. 101, No. 3 [April 1991] issue of Ethics), and The State.
I hope that others enjoy econlib.org and that they might take the time to introduce themselves to the graceful (and witty) analysis of Anthony de Jasay.
The State is an absolutely wonderful book. He’s a genius.