by Dan Mitchell | Aug 8, 2020 | Blogs, Economics
There are all sorts of regulations, some of which affect the entire economy and some of which target certain sectors. Moreover, regulations vary widely since – depending on the example – they may tell people and business what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 23, 2020 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements
There are many reasons to be depressed about Italy. Bad policy is part of the problem, of course, but this chart shows that the country also is facing a demographic crisis. The blue lines show that there are now more deaths than births. The chart comes from...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 26, 2020 | Bailouts, Big Government, Blogs, Europe
I’m not an optimist about Europe’s economic future. Most nations have excessive welfare states and punitive taxes, which is hardly good news. You then have to consider demographic trends such as aging populations (i.e., more people relying on government) and falling...
by Dan Mitchell | Mar 15, 2020 | Blogs, Europe, Health Care
I wrote recently how government regulation and bureaucratic inefficiency are hindering an effective response to coronavirus in the United States. And I also wrote yesterday about one foolish response from Washington to the crisis. But what about developments in other...
by Dan Mitchell | Sep 13, 2019 | Big Government, Blogs
I’ve been in Rome the past few days with my charming and beautiful daughter. We visited the usual tourists spots, including the Coliseum and other remnants of Ancient Rome. And I couldn’t help but wonder how such a powerful empire could collapse, driving people from...