Around the Web: Consortium Edition

08/03/201201/25/2015 Brandon Christensen Links David Graeber, debt, environmentalism, Francis W Hirst, Fred Foldvary, Iraq, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Mark Brady, Michael Adamson, Mises Daily, Ninos Malek, property rights, slavery, the Freeman

06/23/201201/25/2015 Brandon Christensen Links Conor Friedersdorf, conservatism, F.A. Hayek, libertarianism, Mises Daily, New York Times, outsourcing, Patrick Radden Keefe, stay-at-home moms, the Atlantic, War on Drugs, William L. Anderson

Conor Friedersdorf has a great piece in the Atlantic about defending the stay-at-home mom.
In the New York Times there is a great read about how Mexican drug cartels earn their billions of dollars (via @MarketUrbanism)
F.A. Hayek on why he was not a conservative. Good stuff on the confusion in the US about the term ‘liberal’, too. I recommend reading the book from which this article was excerpted, ~~too~~ also (the word ‘too’ has been used too many times).
The Economics of Outsourcing.

Somalia and Anarchy: Links Edition

03/09/201205/12/2015 Brandon Christensen Current Events, Economics, Links Alex de Waal, anarchism, Cato Unbound, Chris Blattman, foreign policy, Fred Foldvary, free trade, Greg Mills, Jeffrey Herbst, Mises Daily, New York Times, Peter Leeson, political thought, Somalia, Spencer Heath MacCallum, war and peace, Yumi Kim

I am too lazy to write much more on Somalia right now (you can always check out my latest piece again if you are really itching for something satisfying), so I have compiled a list of great pieces I have read over the past couple days on Somalia, Anarchy, and the idea that post-colonial states ought to fail more often than not.
Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills argue over in Foreign Policy that the Congolese state needs to fail if the region is to ever know peace again.
Over in the New York Times, Alex de Waal argues along the same lines that I have: that Somalia as it stands is a bad idea, and that much more decentralization is needed for it to effectively flourish.
The Mises Institute has two wonderful articles (one by an anthropologist and one by a lawyer) on why anarchy has been great for Somalia, despite the government interventions imposed upon the Somalis by the West over the past two decades (and, really, much longer than that, but I digress).
Political Economist Chris Blattman raises the flag of caution, though. How do we really know that more states will be better for the people living in these regions?
Co-editor Fred Foldvary defends anarchism’s good name after the (government-initiated) looting in Iraq.
And last but not least, Cato Unbound, one of my favorite places to visit, had an excellent symposium on anarchism awhile back (like, 5 years ago). Here is Pete Leeson’s lead essay, in which Somalia is specifically used to illustrate his points. Be sure to read the responses of the other members in the exchange, too.

Have a great weekend, and have fun with all the reading! One of the things that really bothers me is the example of Somalia that is thrown out in favor of government over liberty. I really hate having to take the time to explain to people that the problems in Somalia are created by the government! It’s like screaming at a brick wall…

Links From Around the Consortium

03/02/201201/20/2015 Brandon Christensen Liberty, Links Brian Gothberg, environmentalism, Facts Matter, Federal Reserve system, Fred Foldvary, gun control, Independent Review, Jacques Delacroix, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Mises Daily, NAFTA, Ninos Malek, PERC, Ron Paul

Jacques Delacroix continues his vendetta against Ron Paul.

Dr. Ninos Malek points out the obvious in regards to guns and public schools

Fred Foldvary has a wonderful piece in the Progress Report on Turkey joining NAFTA

Brian Gothberg (with Gregory Christainsen) writes on property rights and whaling technology

Professor Jeffrey Rogers Hummel on Ben Bernanke versus Milton Friedman (pdf) in the Independent Review

Have a great weekend!

Links From Around the Consortium

02/03/201201/20/2015 Brandon Christensen Current Events, Economics, History, Links Brian Gothberg, Deregulation, environmentalism, Facts Matter, France, Fred Foldvary, Jacques Delacroix, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, Martin van Buren, Mises Daily, PERC

Brian Gothberg’s piece on whaling and property rights deserves another look, as he channels Nobel laureate Ronald Coase:

According to a simple version of the Coase (1960) theorem, if the costs of transacting were very low, it would not much matter for the allocation of resources how stock rights were initially assigned. Trading ensures that rights would be put to their highest-valued uses, whatever they might be. If particular whales have more value as a source of pizza toppings than as the subject of a tourist?s photo session, whale-watching companies would be encouraged to sell any rights that they might have to whalers. If, on the other hand, particular whales have great value simply as magnificent creatures whose existence is to be nurtured and cherished, conservation groups would tend to end up with the rights to those whales.

Reality is not always simple, however. Transaction costs are sometimes high. In particular, there is a free-rider problem […]

Co-editor Fred Foldvary opines on how deregulation hurts the economy. This is perhaps the best piece I have found on regulation and its effects on the economy at large.

I found this piece by Jeffrey Rogers Hummel on President Martin van Buren, whom he calls the ‘American Gladstone’. If you’re itching for some historical information on one of the American republic’s little known presidents, I recommend you grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.

And, not to be outdone, Jacques Delacroix asks if the French have it better. He is specifically referring to the debt-to-GDP ratios of France and the U.S. The whole thing is good throughout, more so because Delacroix professes to hate the French.