What Lessons Can Be Learned by Comparing European Countries and American States?

by Dan Mitchell | Nov 16, 2021 | Big Government, Blogs, Europe

I regularly cite data about Europe’s sub-par economic outcomes in hopes of driving home the point that the United States should not copy that continent’s approach of onerous fiscal burdens. Which is now a very relevant topic with Biden...

Should the United States “Shrink the Gap” with Europe by Increasing Childcare Subsidies?

by Dan Mitchell | Oct 20, 2021 | Blogs, Europe

Let’s look today at one of main arguments for Biden’s tax-and-spend agenda. A column in the New York Times, authored by Spencer Bokat-Lindell, suggests that the United States needs to increase government spending on child care to “shrink the gap”...

The Big Takeaway from a Look at Comparative Living Standards

by Dan Mitchell | Sep 26, 2021 | Big Government, Blogs, Welfare and Entitlements

A very persuasive argument against Biden’s fiscal agenda is that it makes no sense to copy the fiscal policies of European welfare states. Indeed, I routinely share this column from January, which looks at three different measures of comparative...

U.S. vs. China: You Don’t Beat Cronyism with Cronyism

by Dan Mitchell | Aug 1, 2021 | Blogs, Economics

China is not going to surpass the United States as the world’s dominant economy. As I first wrote back in 2010, China is a paper tiger. Yes, there was some pro-market reform last century, which helped reduce mass poverty, but China only took...

Is the United States Defined by 1619 or 1776?

by Dan Mitchell | Jul 4, 2021 | Blogs, Society

Since this is America’s Independence Day, I’m going to continue my tradition (see 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020) of authoring a July 4-themed column. What will make this year...