by Dan Mitchell | Jan 20, 2018 | Blogs, Economics
I gave Trump 50-day grades and 100-day grades, but those were largely speculative assessments. Now we have a full year of data and that real-world evidence can be used to grade Trump’s first year in office. But before I get into the details, allow me to start with a...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 16, 2018 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
To put it mildly, Italy’s economy is moribund. There’s been almost no growth for the entire 21st century. Bad government policy deserves much of the blame. According to Economic Freedom of the World, Italy is ranked only 54th, the worst score in Western Europe other...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 8, 2018 | Blogs, Economics
The left’s fixation on reducing inequality is misguided. If they really care about the poor, they instead should focus on reducing poverty. And that means pushing for more growth. We know from U.S. evidence and global evidence that better economic performance is the...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 4, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Regulations
I was not optimistic about a Trump presidency. Before the 2016 election, I characterized him as a “statist” and a “typical big-government Republican.” I’ve also criticized his policies on entitlements, trade, child care, capital gains taxation, government spending,...
by Dan Mitchell | Dec 21, 2017 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Now that we have a final bill rather than a mere “agreement in principle,” let’s step back and consider some implications of tax reform. There are three reasons to be pleased and one reason to worry. Win: Less-destructive federal tax code There are several provisions...