by Dan Mitchell | Sep 24, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
I want to challenge supporters of intervention and big government. Here are two simple questions. I’ll be happy if I can get a semi-reasonable answer to either of them. 1. Can you name a nation that became rich with statist policies? Before you say Sweden, or...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 2, 2014 | Big Government, Blogs, Economic Growth, Welfare and Entitlements
I very rarely feel sorry for statists. After all, these are the people who think that their feelings of envy and inadequacy justify bigger and more coercive government. And I get especially irked when I think about how their authoritarian policies will hurt the most...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 31, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Free Market
When major changes occur, especially if they’re bad, people generally will try to understand what happened so they can avoid similar bad events in the future. This is why, when we’re looking at major economic events, it’s critical to realize that narratives matter....
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 23, 2014 | Blogs, Economics, Free Market
I’m currently in Asia, where I just finished a series of speeches about economic policy in China and Hong Kong. These two jurisdictions offer very powerful lessons about the importance of economic policy. Hong Kong is supposed to be Nirvana for libertarians. It holds...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 7, 2014 | Blogs, Free Market
Over the past several years, I’ve repeatedly argued that you get more unemployment when the government pays people to be unemployed. But I’m not just relying on theory. I’ve cited both anecdotes and empirical research to bolster my case. You won’t be...
