Category Archive: 6b) Austrian Economics

Don’t Fall for Biden’s Latest Talking Point

As the long-hyped Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia stalls and a new war in Gaza draws the world’s attention, American support for funding Kyiv’s war has waned. In an effort to reverse this, the Biden administration is changing its messaging. A Politico report from last week details how White House aides are now telling members of Congress to sell Americans the lie that continuing to send money and weapons to Ukraine is good for the...

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How German Exports Lost the Race with China

Germany is the euro area’s economic powerhouse and most competitive economy. It accounts for close to 30 percent of the euro area gross domestic product (GDP) and has recorded sizable current account surpluses since the introduction of the euro. Substantial fiscal and labor market reforms in the early 2000s propelled the German economy. However, these golden days seem all gone now. Years of misguided energy policies—part of the government’s...

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A Rothbardian Critique of Effective Altruism

"Effective altruism" has become a buzzword with modern progressives who seek to combine state power and billionaire-funded nonprofits to redirect resources. Original Article: A Rothbardian Critique of Effective Altruism

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China’s Inefficient and Unsustainable Central Planning

Over one hundred years ago, Ludwig von Mises wrote about the impossibility of successful rational economic planning under socialism. Yet China is still trying, even while its blend of markets and socialism results in shortages and surpluses. This article examines three contemporary initiatives spearheaded by Xi Jinping, each marked by an inherent problem: food insecurity, the aging crisis, and the real-estate bubble. Each problem was created by...

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The Inherent Evils of Centrism

Most people will claim to be political and social “moderates” yet actually accept extreme socialist viewpoints. Original Article: The Inherent Evils of Centrism

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Government-Enforced Paid Family Leave Is Not Pro-Family

Christianity Today magazine enthusiastically endorses government-enforced family leave, calling it “pro-family.” Government coercion, however, is still violence, not something to be championed. Original Article: Government-Enforced Paid Family Leave Is Not Pro-Family

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Statism Is the Cause of the Israel-Hamas War

The State is an organized crime racket. It appropriates wealth by coercion and regularly uses force in violation of the n0n-aggression principle. The State is a parasite that perpetuates itself at all costs and extends itself by any means possible. Regardless of its putative leaders, the State grows and increases its power at the expense of its hosts and others who fall victim to its predations. As Hans-Hermann Hoppe poignantly wrote, States are...

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Mises Institute Announces Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo as President

For Immediate Release Auburn, Ala. – The Mises Institute announced that Thomas DiLorenzo has been named its next president, following approval by its Board of Directors. DiLorenzo has a long and distinguished career as an academic economist, author, and speaker. He was Professor of Economics at Loyola University, Maryland, from 1992 to 2020. He served previously as the Probasco Chair of Free Enterprise at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga,...

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Mises Apprenticeship 2024

"Economics must not be relegated to classrooms and statistical offices and must not be left to esoteric circles. It is the philosophy of human life and action and concerns everybody and everything. It is the pith of civilization and of a man's human existence." —Ludwig von Mises The strength of the Austrian school has always been grounded in its ability to speak clearly about the issues vital to preserving human civilization. While there...

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Canadian Digital Protectionism Gravely Threatens Free Speech

In 2023, Canada’s parliament passed two significant pieces of legislation, Bills C-11 and C-18, both of which have stirred debates and concerns regarding their potential impact on online freedom and political censorship. Bill C-18, commonly known as the Online News Act, was introduced in the forty-fourth Canadian Parliament and received royal assent on June 22, 2023. This legislation introduces a framework mandating digital news intermediaries,...

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Rothbard on Suits for Defamation

David Gordon explains Murray Rothbard's famous assertion that laws against libel and slander should not be on the books. Original Article: Rothbard on Suits for Defamation

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No Monetary or Political Bailouts for Belt-and-Road Initiative Debtors

It’s been more than three decades since the Berlin Wall fell and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. At the time, when everyone knew that the time for the “mothership” of socialism had come, China didn’t want to take the Soviet Union’s position but opted for an ambiguous role. In the three decades after the downfall of the Soviet Union, it was clear which country was at the top of the world. Those were the times to which the Beltway wanted to...

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Government Agencies Exploit Data Brokers as End-Around to Legal Restrictions

Even when Congress tries to restrict government agencies from illegally gathering information on people, the agencies simply exploit legal loopholes or just break the law—without consequences. Original Article: Government Agencies Exploit Data Brokers as End-Around to Legal Restrictions

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How the Fed Undermines Prosperity

The boom-and-bust cycles are not natural to a market economy, contra Keynes. Instead, government through monetary manipulation creates them—and then politicians blame markets themselves. Original Article: How the Fed Undermines Prosperity

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Why Must Supply Precede Demand? Understanding Economic Foundations

Popular economic thinking holds that consumer spending is the most important driver of the economy. Actually, demand can’t exist without something first being supplied. Original Article: Why Must Supply Precede Demand? Understanding Economic Foundations

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Mounting Deficits Mark the US’s Road to Ruin

According to the U.S. Treasury, year-end data from September 2023 show that the deficit for the full year 2023 was $1.7 trillion, $320 billion higher than the prior year’s deficit. As a percentage of GDP, the deficit was 6.3%, an increase from 5.4% in FY 2022. This means that the United States will likely post the worst GDP growth excluding debt increases since 1929, or, in other words, that the country is in a recession disguised by bloated...

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On the Cultural Impact of the Paper Dollar

On this week's episode, Mark recaps Professor Guido Hülsmann's recent lecture on the cultural impact of the paper dollar. Hülsmann explains how an ever-inflationary monetary system and depreciating currency are leading to moral decay and divisiveness in America. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues. Additional Resources "The Cultural Impact of the Dollar" by Guido Hülsmann: Mises.org/Minor_42A "Abundance,...

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The Specter of Hyperinflation Looms over the Economy

The threat of hyperinflation has haunted fiat money economies throughout history. Although past empires crumbled under the weight of unrestrained money printing, modern bankers at the Federal Reserve assure us that today’s financial system is immune to such a fate. Austrian business cycle theory, however, reveals that current economic stimulation may be propelling us toward a crisis of catastrophic proportions: a crack-up boom that marks the...

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Kendi’s Critical Race Theory Is a Failed Marxist Doctrine

Ibram X. Kendi, the controversial author of How to Be an Antiracist, has been revealed as not only a hustler of horrid ideas but also a poor businessman. Kendi was appointed the head and founder of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research in 2020 following the aptly named “summer of love,” which saw riots in most major cities over calls for “racial justice.” Now, Boston University is committing mass layoffs of employees, as the Center has...

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American History Is a Preview of the Israel-Palestine End Game

As news of the Hamas attack on southern Israel began to trickle in on October 7, many who follow the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict knew the bad news was just beginning. It was immediately obvious that the ferocity of the Hamas attack, and the high proportion of women and children among the victims, would provide the Israeli state with political justification to launch devastating and revanchist attacks against civilians within the Gaza strip in...

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