Picking Winners Before the Green Flag is Waved
Within mainstream economics, there is an adage that if you subsidize a thing, you get more of that thing. This notion has been used by politicians to justify the government promotion of new technologies that promise to solve major social, economic, and environmental problems. The logic for subsidizing new technology rests upon the idea that […]
Why investors can’t agree on the financial outlook
The quokka, an Australian marsupial about the size of a domestic cat, has full cheeks and a curved mouth that convey the impression—often to delighted tourists—that the critter is smiling. It has been dubbed the happiest animal on Earth. Yet these days it has competition from another species: the American stock investor. The s&p 500 […]
Rebuilding Ukraine will require money, but also tough reforms
Ukraine suffered a brutal winter. Russia lobbed missiles at civilian and energy infrastructure, attempting to terrorise the population and cut off the green shoots of economic growth. It had some success. A sentiment indicator surveying Ukrainian firms hit a low in January. But as the country’s soldiers began their counter-offensive, so the economy pushed back. […]
India’s journey from agricultural basket case to breadbasket
Indian agriculture has a poor reputation, which is not unfair. About half the country’s workforce toils on the land. Their labour unfolds in the brutal heat and tends to be done by hand or in unsheltered, rudimentary vehicles. Seasonal financing often comes through informal channels, with lending at annual rates approaching 30%. Paralysing debts are […]
Trinkets of Frivolous Utility? – Econlib
Horology. Did you know what that was before listening to this episode with author, watchmaker and restorer Rebecca Struthers. I know I didn’t! And now I’m completely fascinated. Host Russ Roberts welcomed Struthers to talk about her new book, Hands of Time, but as usual the conversation spanned much, much more. I learned that there […]
