By Ash Navabi Both economic decisions and political decisions involve choices and tradeoffs. The difference is that economic decisions are ultimately informed and rely upon monetary prices, revenues and costs. Political decisions, meanwhile, do not depend on market outcomes—they can be based on love, legacy, favors, or establishing power relations. Zoning is the practice … [Read more...] about The Economics and Politics of Zoning
Property
Property Rights Are What Separate Humans from the Animal Kingdom
By Gary M. Galles As someone who has studied public policy for decades, I have frequently been struck by how many people are so committed to their favorite ism or “answer” on an issue that they will ignore powerful contradictory analysis and evidence that is only a couple easy keystrokes away, or even when it is right in front of them. A good example of this willful … [Read more...] about Property Rights Are What Separate Humans from the Animal Kingdom
Like Most Government Central-Planning Schemes, Zoning Laws Raise the Cost of Living
By Chris Calton In the classic video game Sim City, players acting as the mayor of a simulated city begin by allocating space by industrial, residential, and commercial zones. There is no option in the game to have overlapping districts, where a department store might sit next to a middle-class home. The very idea would seem absurd to modern minds, which typically accept … [Read more...] about Like Most Government Central-Planning Schemes, Zoning Laws Raise the Cost of Living
Just When You Think You Own Your Own Private Property…
By Simon Black, Sovereign Man The year was 1967. Ronald Reagan had just become governor of California. Aretha Franklin was belting out R-E-S-P-E-C-T on the radio. Marxist revolutionary leader Che Guevara was captured and executed in Bolivia. And a restaurant chain called The White Spot opened its newest location in Denver, Colorado. It was a popular diner; the White … [Read more...] about Just When You Think You Own Your Own Private Property…
Capital is a Mystery to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
By Mark Brandly We all know that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is dominating the political news with her demands for socializing the economy. Bob Murphy has explained that her Green New Deal "makes no sense on economic grounds” and even for Keynesians it “ would be nonsensical to implement such a program today.” Given the inanity of the Green New Deal, I would like to … [Read more...] about Capital is a Mystery to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez