Lebanon’s Looming Fiscal Crisis and the Golden-Rule Solution

by Dan Mitchell | Oct 9, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending

I’ve been in Lebanon for the past few days, but not because I’m seeking a replacement for the Princess of the Levant. Instead, I’m here because the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies arranged a briefing in the Parliament on the perilous state of the nation’s...

More Evidence that Small Government Works Better

by Dan Mitchell | Oct 7, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Government Spending

I explained last year that there is an inverse relationship between government efficiency and the size of government. And Mark Steyn made the same point, using humor, back in 2012. Interestingly, we have some unexpected allies. In a recently released study, two...

Identifying (and Preventing) Future Greek-Style Fiscal Collapses

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 7, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending

Way back in early 2011, I wrote about the likelihood of various nations suffering a Greek-style meltdown. After speculating on the importance of debt burdens and interest payments, I concluded that …which nation will be the next domino to fall? …Some people think...

Voluntary Quit Rates Confirm that Federal Bureaucrats Are Overpaid

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 5, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Bureaucracy

President Trump has proposed a one-year pay freeze for federal bureaucrats, which has reinvigorated the debate over whether compensation levels for the civil service are too lavish. The Washington Post opines this is nothing but “government bashing,” but...

Fiscal Crisis in America, Part 2: Greece – A Harbinger for the United States?

by Sven R. Larson | Aug 14, 2018 | CF&P Foundation Prosperitas Studies, Publications

[PDF Version] August 2018, Vol. XII, Issue III Fiscal Crisis in America, Part 2: Greece – A Harbinger for the United States? By Sven R. Larson* A fiscal crisis in the United States is no longer unthinkable. It is difficult to assess the probability and the exact...