An Irishman Explains a Scotsman
I strongly recommend rushing out to your bookstore (or typing in your favorite online book service) to buy P.J. O’Rourke’s very witty and very clear book On the Wealth of…
Economic Insights
A Reputation for Studying Reputation
Avner Greif is one of the most interesting scholars working today to understand the problem of the emergence of complex forms of order. Christopher Faille has an interesting review of…
Petro-Socialists on the March to Immiseration!
“We’re heading toward socialism, and nothing and no-one can prevent it.” Hugo Chavez
An Open Letter to a Closed Mind
My friend Don Boudreaux has a fine open letter to Lou Dobbs in the Christian Science Monitor.
Understand the Wealth of Nations! Really!
Buy this Book It’s been many years since I read the whole An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. It is full — full —…
For Political Scientists: A New Form of State
“The KGB’s post-Soviet ‘commercialization’,” by Victor Yassmann. One useful element is a partial list of assassinated Russian figures who have been around KGB circles. (Note previous post on the topic.)…
Economic Freedom of the World Report in Arabic
Thanks to the hard work of my colleagues Fadi Haddadin and Ghaleb Hijazi (and a team of expert translators), the 2006 Economic Freedom of the World Report was elegantly released…
Starbucks and Globalization — and Why I’d Never, Ever, Shake Jim Baker’s Hand
I had a nice machiatto this evening at the Starbucks near the hotel where I’m staying in Beirut. I like diversity a lot, but I also like seeing well managed…
Beirut Blogging
After a delightful dinner by the seaside last night with friends from Canada, Estonia, Germany, and Jordan, we met at 8:30 this morning with our colleagues and had the first…
Technology and the Isolated and Impoverished
A Work-Around for State Failure The best thing is to be involved in the world economy (best from the position of longevity, reduced infant mortality, education, and so forth), but…