From The Wall Street Journal Online September 29, 2011 This Saturday, government price controls on debit card interchange fees (which card issuers charge to merchants) go into effect. The controls are the result of the Durbin amendment to last year\’s Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation. They were enacted at the behest of big-box retailers such as […]
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This is the last of three FREE Insight Columns on housing policy. The earlier columns discussed government-mandated “affordable housing,” and, more generally, the effect of state and local land use regulations on housing creation. This column analyzes the appropriate federal role in creating and maintaining a healthy housing market. Federally subsidized public housing began in […]
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This is the second of three FREE Insight Columns on housing policy. The first, “Affordable Housing,” discussed local attempts to require developers to sell some units in new subdivisions at prices that prospective lower- and middle-income purchasers could afford. This column is about the role of states and localities in establishing land use and other […]
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The City of Bozeman, which is home to FREE, is now considering revamping its workforce housing ordinance. The current law, enacted in 2007, requires that developers set aside ten percent of units in new housing developments to be sold for less than $200,000 to families with incomes of less than $70,000 per year. According to […]
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FREE just completed a conference for religious leaders, “The Environmental Economics of Creation Stewardship.” Participants came from a dozen states and even more denominations. All agreed we are indeed blessed to live here. Hiking, riding, and rafting near Gallatin Gateway testify to an environment worth conserving. And this is a great place to learn how […]
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We recently joined friends in exploring unused railroad lines in northern Idaho. This is part of my new research project on the economic and cultural history of a changing West. The “rails to trails” concept has the potential to counter fiscal constraints. The conversion of railroad rights of way to bike trails illustrates creative and […]
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Our interns and research students are smart, fun, active, and presentable. Some have come from the MSU Honors program, others from the Ivies or other top schools such as Duke or University of Virginia. They work hard and enjoy our conferences with federal judges, seminary professors, and other religious leaders. Nearly all go on to […]
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Steve Hayward’s column below makes one wonder how noted environmental professionals, and even scientists, can be so, how can I say it gently, remarkably ignorant and intellectually arrogant as this: “Economics is a form of brain damage.” Economics isn’t an ideology or a mental affliction. Rather, it’s the systematic study of allocating scarce resources among […]
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Twice a week, John Goodman, president and founder of NCPA in Dallas, writes a blog. Most are on health care, but a few are wider issues. John uses a finely polished economic lens to help us see through complex and often disguised or misrepresented governmental programs. Here is a slightly abridged version of his recent […]
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I can’t think of any single act of government that creates more inequality than the lottery—at least per dollar raised and spent. Think about it. Thousands of (mostly below-average income) people buy tickets and, after the drawing, one of them becomes immensely wealthy. As far as I can tell, the single largest winner in the […]
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