The labor market is one of the most regulated markets in our economy. Minimum wage laws effectively tell teenagers they cannot work unless they can produce $7.25 an hour. When the ObamaCare mandate kicks in next year, that hurdle will climb to more than $15 an hour for many potential employees. OSHA regulations dictate what risks workers […]
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This article reprinted from The American magazine, a publication of the American Enterprise Insitute. Web address: www.american.com The Swedish political Right has increasingly managed to recapture the support of a large segment of the chattering classes. There may be lessons for the United States. Ask most Europeans or coastal Americans: “Who are smarter, liberals or […]
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Montana’s Public Service Commission has unanimously rejected an Australian firm’s offer to buy NorthWestern Energy. In a recent column, I explored the historical context for Montana’s wariness to deals involving outsiders. Several readers whom I respect confused my explanation with opposition. I don’t know why the PSC denied the deal, but they are too sophisticated […]
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Like most of you I take safety, comfort, and a clean environment as givens. A recent trip to Nicaragua reminded me they are not. (Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Only Haiti is poorer). My trip offered several take home messages. Here’s one. I have a wristband that reads, “I buy […]
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Here’s a great and beneficial irony: exploiting poverty helps the poor. Many argue that increasing globalization enables wealthy countries to consume the world’s resources while exploiting poor countries’ cheap labor and trashing their environments. Well, here’s a resource we should be trying our utmost to deplete: poverty. Yes, poverty is a resource, and one that […]
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Most folks instinctively believe growth and environmental protection are mutually exclusive. Increased economic activity and growing populations stress the Earth’s “carrying capacity.” In this view, we must choose between protecting the planet or promoting economic progress. Fortunately this is not the real choice. Consider this. Population Growth In 1798, Thomas Malthus published An Essay on […]
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Bozeman’s extended spell of vernal temperatures spurs thoughts of global warming. The preponderance of scientific evidence shows that for whatever reasons (human-induced carbon emissions, natural climatic variation), average global temperatures are increasing. The important question is: What do we do about it? The most common arguments revolve around reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. But this […]
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Imagine a world without borders. Here, businesses are free to move people, products, and capital anywhere with minimal friction. Governmental interference has lessened and economic coordination improved. Critics of globalization and free trade would have us believe the result would be a giant race to the bottom. They expect firms to seek out localities with […]
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For the last two years I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to Bozeman High School’s philosophy classes. It’s an experience I thoroughly enjoy. This column is for them. What are we to make of the situation in which an Indian worker is paid 50 cents to assemble a shirt that sells for $25? Isn’t this […]
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Globalization has rapidly improved the social and economic status of women in the developing world. The explanation is straightforward: In a competitive, globalized world, the role of women becomes ever more valuable. Cultures that exclude women from full participation (e.g., Saudi Arabia) fall ever further behind. Societies that embrace education for women enjoy dramatic social […]
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