Taiwan Is the Success Story, not China

by Dan Mitchell | May 4, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending

Which nation is richer, Belarus or Luxembourg? If you look at total economic output, you might be tempted to say Belarus. The GDP of Belarus, after all, is almost $72 billion while Luxembourg’s GDP is less than $60 billion. But that would be a preposterous answer...

Greedy Politicians Get their Comeuppance as Taxpayers Escape

by Dan Mitchell | May 3, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Tax Competition, Taxation

If you’re a regular reader, you already know I’m a big supporter of tax competition and tax havens. Here’s the premise: Politicians almost always are focused on their next election and this encourages them to pursue policies that are designed to maximize votes and...

Ukraine’s Self-Imposed Statism Crisis

by Dan Mitchell | Apr 30, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Free Market

Using a comparison of Jamaica and Singapore, I recently argued that growth should trump inequality. Simply stated, a growing economic pie is much better for poor people that incentive-sapping redistribution programs that trap people in dependency. In other words,...

America Should Copy Europe…if the Goal Is Stagnation and Lower Living Standards

by Dan Mitchell | Apr 28, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Europe

I periodically (some would say over and over and over again, though occasionally made more palatable by using humor and cartoons) warn that the United States should not become a European-style welfare state. But I wonder whether I spend enough time explaining why this...

Should Companies Do What’s Best for Government, or Should They Do What’s Best for Workers, Consumers, and Shareholders?

by Dan Mitchell | Apr 21, 2014 | Blogs, Tax Competition, Taxation

I’m in favor of free markets. That means I’m sometimes on the same side as big business, but it also means that I’m often very critical of big business. That’s because large companies are largely amoral. Depending on the issue, they may be on the side of the angels,...