The prospect of going south for a week in mid February seems a treat for those of us living in Montana. Hence, I was pleased to accept invitations to speak at NCCU and Duke Universities. It had been -30ºF with much snow, nothing unusual, before we left. We have seen much colder. We looked […]
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Americans are a notoriously mobile people. Families relocate to new places with remarkable frequency. Traditionally, moves are motivated by better employment opportunities. Going to the Bakken oil patch is an obvious example. No one goes there to enhance immediate quality of life. Money is the motivator. Salary and wages surely are not the only consideration […]
Read MoreI find economics fun and useful. Fundamentally, it is not about money. Rather, economics is a mode of thinking focused on two things, information and incentives. Unless deliberately randomized, as in a fair lottery or coin flip, most decisions are based on information and incentives. It’s no accident that’s the way the world works. […]
Read MoreGallatin Writers is FREE’s sister organization, created twenty years ago. We wanted to help people allergic to economic thinking understand the ethical and ecological value of economic reasoning to achieving their goals. Here is a key: Respecting liberty and the contributions of prosperity is essential to a good society. Poverty is the worst polluter. Having come to economics […]
Read MoreI welcome several changes in this New Year. And how fortunate we are to live here! On many cultural, commercial, and medical dimensions, life in and around Bozeman is ever better. Yesterday we had over 50 elk on our place. (Fortunately, our haystacks had been trucked off. Herds of elk eat and destroy them. […]
Read MoreThis is the season of “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men”. Although data indicates the world actually is becoming more peaceful, peace and good will remain exceedingly difficult goals to achieve. However, the Christmas season is an excellent time to recognize those who try: Success is contagious. This week’s FREE Insights […]
Read MoreLet’s count our blessings, not only because tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. (Also Chanukah so this suggests interesting menus.) Ramona and I have just returned from trips to big cities, Boston, New York, and Chicago. We were treated well indeed and greatly enjoyed seeing friends and relatives. Still, I felt blessed to return to Montana. […]
Read MoreThis week’s FREE Insight is a summary of the talk that I gave yesterday (11/5/13) at Harvard and will also present at NYU Law tomorrow (11/7/13). The full paper can be found by clicking here. I find fiduciary trusts attractive arrangements for managing parks and wild lands, especially after October 1. National parks […]
Read MoreHere is my recommendation for understanding how the policy world works: read the “Weekend Edition” of the WSJ and skim The Economist. Curious people will quite naturally latch on to interesting and policy relevant articles. A few individuals have an intuitive appreciation of systems. My suggestion will foster their understanding by providing logical […]
Read MoreThe summer is officially over, and with it, 22 years of FREE seminars for federal judges and religious leaders. This year we successfully hosted a diverse representation from both groups during our two weeklong seminars (July 15-19 and August 19-23). Below is an historical sketch leading to this success. It occurred neither by accident nor […]
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