Lessons from 19th Century Cronyism

Lessons from 19th Century Cronyism

Politicians often support “industrial policy,” which means they get to grant special favors to well-connected companies or industries. But as explained by Professor Burton Folsom, this approach didn’t work very will in the 1800s. It’s not surprising, of course, that...
Economic Backsliding by China, Part I

The “Grabbing Hand” of Industrial Policy

If you want to understand how government really works, learn about “public choice.” This is the common-sense theory that politicians and other people in politics often make decisions based on self interest, and it does a very good job of explaining why we get so many...