The educational programs of the Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE) have received substantial national attention, including from the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and 20/20. The Judicial Conference of the United States carefully evaluated the contributions of our work, for it knows American justice and progress rely on […]

Tom France, of the National Wildlife Federation, organized a conference, “The Climate Challenge: Strategies for Montana’s Future.” FREE cosponsored last weekend’s Helena meeting. This effort was described as “a collaborative conference implementing a progressive, proactive approach, [to] address the growing global climate challenge.” It featured experts from agriculture, industry, economics, and conservation. Its goal was […]

Montana ballot initiative I-154, which protects property rights and requires compensation for “regulatory takings,” is in judicial limbo. It arose from the blowback from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2005 Kelo decision allowing cities to seize private property and turn it over to private developers. This strong reaction to Kelo should alert “progressives” to the importance […]

Why do well-intended people so often propose counterproductive policy solutions, the outcomes of which thwart their stated goals? What’s wrong? Let’s employ an ecological perspective to help understand this paradox. Human systems, like ecological ones, are inherently complex. When intervening it’s nearly impossible to do only one thing. The distinguished ecologist Garrett Hardin offered the […]

Americans seem hardwired to believe problems can be solved. This classic “can do” approach often works — but alas not always. Some afflictions are persistent but manageable; we handle gravity and crab grass via rebar or Ronstar. Other problems, some extremely serious, should only be acknowledged and confronted, not wished away via purported solutions. Success […]

This is a “feel-good” column, written to share. Please join me in appreciating our home territory. The Gallatin Valley Bicycle Club sponsored an English (100 miles) and metric (100K) ride last Saturday. Both left from the Belgrade town park, around 8:00 AM. No precise time was given, for these were pleasure rides, not races. My […]

Montana State University is poised to become a nationally recognized school of excellence. Success is highly probable if MSU leaders capitalize on becoming the University of the Yellowstone. Such advancement would reflect the diffusion of quality throughout American higher education. (The U of M enjoys a similar opportunity, but success will be more difficult there.) […]

It’s trendy to hate Wal-Mart. Critics note: Wal-Mart is a monopoly and hence, is intrinsically bad. Further, Wal-Mart destroys small businesses, ruining towns’ culture. It sells poor-quality, homogenous products in unattractive superstores. And finally, Wal-Mart is an unfair employer, paying low wages and failing to provide benefits. Each disparagement contains a grain of truth; Wal-Mart […]

Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world. It employs 1.8 million, more than any other American institution besides the federal government. Its 2006 revenues surpassed $315 billion. But statistics serve only to reinforce what most Americans already know: Wal-Mart is big business. Wal-Mart often shares its success. The Walton family has donated over $1 […]

Go see Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. It raises awareness about global warming and motivates searches for constructive policies. Unfortunately, the film also polarizes proposed “solutions.” Many urge CO2 emissions caps. Others, fearful of economic repercussions, seek delay. Nobel Laureate and FREE’s 2003 Summer Scholar Thomas Schelling rejects the polarization: “It is not economic growth […]