by Dan Mitchell | Dec 26, 2016 | Blogs, Economics
There’s a somewhat famous quote from Adam Smith (“there is a great deal of ruin in a nation“) about the ability of a country to survive and withstand lots of bad public policy. I’ve tried to get across the same point by explaining that you don’t need perfect policy,...
by Dan Mitchell | Oct 23, 2016 | Blogs, Economics
While the overall issue of immigration is highly controversial and emotional, I’ve explained before that everyone should be able to agree that it’s a very good idea to bring in people who can be expected to increase per-capita economic output. The good news is that we...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 18, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Economics, Immigration, Society, Welfare and Entitlements
As a general rule, I like immigration and I don’t like redistribution. As such, I share the late Milton Friedman’s concern about the risks of having a welfare state combined with open borders. And based on many conversations all over the country, I think that’s a big...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 28, 2016 | Blogs, States, Tax Competition, Taxation
Long-run trends are an enormously important – yet greatly underappreciated – feature of public policy. Slight differences in growth can have enormous implications for a nation’s long-run prosperity. Gradual shifts in population trends may determine whether a nation...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 8, 2016 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe, Welfare and Entitlements
Taxpayers don’t like coughing up big amounts of money so other people can choose not to work. And they really get upset when welfare payments are so generous that newcomers are encouraged to climb in the wagon of government dependency. This has an effect on the...
