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...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 28, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Welfare and Entitlements
I wrote yesterday about the continuing success of Switzerland’s spending cap. Before voters changed the Swiss constitution, overall expenditures were growing by an average of 4.6 percent annually. Ever since the “debt brake” took effect, though, government spending...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 13, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, States
A balanced budget requirement is neither necessary nor sufficient for good fiscal policy. If you want proof for that assertion, check out states such as Illinois, California, and New Jersey. They all have provisions to limit red ink, yet there is more spending (and...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 9, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending, Taxation
I’ve half-joked in the past that spending restraint is the answer to every fiscal problem. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the right answer to 98 percent of fiscal problems. Some fiscal discipline is what we need in America, for instance, and it’s certainly an...
by Dan Mitchell | May 29, 2018 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
I wrote two days ago about how the country of Georgia has achieved impressive economic performance thanks to major reforms to reduce the size and scope of government. Indeed, Georgia jumped from #56 to #8 in Economic Freedom of the World between 2004 and 2015, a...
