I’ve recently returned from the RAND Corporation’s Graduate School in Santa Monica. RAND was created after WWII to help the U.S. analyze Cold War policy. It is surely the world’s premier think tank. (See their web site, www.rand.org, for the full breadth of their research.) Among applicants to their Ph.D. program, the most common score […]
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I’ve been with FREE for nearly five years, first as its research associate and lately as its publications and program coordinator. In the time I’ve been here, a lot of people have moved to Bozeman; unfortunately, it’s time for me to move on. I came here in February of 2002 from the other end of […]
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The Bozeman Business and Professional Women recently invited me to speak at a luncheon on ballot initiative I-151. This seeks an increase in Montana’s minimum wage to $6.15 from $5.15 per hour. I-151 includes an annual cost of living adjustment and exemptions for small businesses with gross sales of $110,000 or less. I was delighted […]
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Why are economists the last sane optimists and what can they teach church leaders about environmental stewardship? These questions grow in importance as religious organizations dedicate themselves to issues such as climate change and energy use. Last summer gas hit over $3.00 per gallon, cities anticipated electrical blackouts, and the country faced serious prospects of […]
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Those of us committed to Green causes often respond more strongly to symbolic values than to careful analysis. Recycling offers a clear example. The environmental value of recycling depends on time- and place-specific circumstances. It almost always makes both ecological and economic sense to recycle aluminum and other metals. Often this holds for paper, only […]
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MSU has recently made significant progress in advancing its research and reputation. In 1970, it had few nationally recognized programs and subsequently missed many opportunities to promote or retain excellence. A generation ago political intrusions on academic quality afflicted Montana Hall, but leadership, entrepreneurship, location, and technology now trump. Today MSU is far more alert […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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