by Dan Mitchell | Dec 5, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs
I get a good amount of feedback on my Theorems of Government, including many suggestions that I turn them into a book (a semi-appealing idea, but I’m a bit discouraged that my last book didn’t have the impact I hoped). Other people ask me to identify my...
by Dan Mitchell | Jun 5, 2025 | Big Government, Blogs, Government Spending
Elon Musk is in the news because of his opposition to Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” At the risk of sounding wishy-washy, I’m not sure if he is right or wrong. The good news is that the bill prevents a massive automatic tax increase starting on January 1 of 2026. The...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 10, 2024 | Blogs, Economics
Why do politicians such as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris show no interest in fixing Social Security and other entitlement programs? The answer is “public choice.” They are focused on maximizing votes and power in the short run...
by Dan Mitchell | Jan 9, 2023 | Blogs, Economics
Back in 2016, I shared three videos to explain the theory of “public choice,” which is simply the application of economic principles to understand the self-interested behavior of politicians, bureaucracies, and voters. Wonky readers will enjoy...
by Dan Mitchell | Feb 17, 2022 | Blogs, Economics
I’ve written columns about wonky economic concepts such as “deadweight loss” and “public goods.” Today’s topic is “rent seeking,” which is part of “public choice” and is described by Professor Alex Tabarrok of George Mason University. To elaborate, here’s a video from...
