by Dan Mitchell | Jun 6, 2019 | Blogs
I had a chance to write about several interesting topics (Australian politics and policy, the economics of government spending, the structure of taxation) on my recent trip Down Under. I also appeared on The Outsiders, one of Australia’s most popular political...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 3, 2019 | Blogs, Taxation, Trade
What’s worse, a politician who knowingly supports bad policy or a politician who actually thinks that bad policy is good policy? I was very critical of the Bush Administration (I’m referring to George W. Bush, but the same analysis applies to George H.W. Bush) because...
by Dan Mitchell | May 9, 2019 | Blogs, Trade
When I want to feel optimistic about China, I look at data from Economic Freedom of the World to confirm that there was a lot of economic liberalization (triggered in part by some civil disobedience) between 1980 and the early 2000s. Then I look at how that period of...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 22, 2019 | Blogs, Trade
When I pontificate about trade, I often point out that protectionism is a net negative for the economy. Yes, it is possible to erect trade barriers that benefit specific sectors and protect certain jobs, and this is the “seen” benefit. But the “unseen” costs...
by Dan Mitchell | Apr 6, 2019 | Blogs, Economics, Keynesian, Monetary Policy
Being a policy wonk in a political town isn’t easy. I care about economic liberty while many other people simply care about political maneuvering. And the gap between policy advocacy and personality politics has become even larger in the Age of Trump. One result is...