Clean air….hot air
Read my latest Oxford University Press blog post on the GOP presidential candidates and environmental regulation.
George W. Bush
Fair and balanced
Read my latest OUP blog post on the importance of independent, objective policy analysis here.
A Blatant Misuse of History
Writing nearly 40 years ago, historian Ernest R. May warned of the dangers of misusing history for policy purposes. May was primarily concerned that policy makers drew the wrong lessons from the past. In their opinion piece in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Glenn Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School and an advisor to Mitt Romney, … Read more
Doomed to repeat it?
The Financial Times reported this week on a study by the Chartered Financial Analyst Society of the UK that argues that “financial amnesia” among institutional investors–particularly a failure to heed the lessons of past bubbles–has contributed to the global financial crisis. The answer, according to the Society’s report, is that the study of financial history … Read more
Alan Meltzer’s straw “Keynesian”
Remember when “liberal” became the insult of choice among Republicans? Apparently, “Keynesian” has now taken on that status for Republican economists. Never mind that Keynesian is ill-defined (old Keynesian? new Keynesian? the Keynesian part of the neoclassical synthesis?)–making Keynesian a dirty word and applying it to those with whom you disagree has become the tactic … Read more
John Cogan and John Taylor confuse temporary and permanent
In a recently published op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, Stanford economists John Cogan and John Taylor argue that: “Temporary, targeted tax reductions and increases in government spending are not good economics. They have repeatedly failed to increase economic growth on a sustainable basis. What may come as a surprise is that such policies … Read more
Gary Becker and the law of the jungle
The sub-prime crisis and the ensuing economic slowdown have led many to question some widely held economic tenets, particularly the belief that unfettered markets inevitably lead to the best of all possible outcomes. Writing in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, University of Chicago economics professor and Nobel laureate Gary Becker whines about this assault on the … Read more
WSJ op-ed board member: The unemployed prefer sitting on their duffs to working
Writing in today’s Wall Street Journal, WSJ op-ed board member Stephen Moore offers a variety of dubious–and at least one outrageous–opinion on the economy and economic policy. (1) The economy would be in better shape today in the absence of the economic stimulus. No, it wouldn’t. Even fellow WSJ contributor Ed Lazear believes that the … Read more
How bad does Edward Lazear need it to be?
Writing in Friday’s Wall Street Journal, Stanford professor Edward Lazear argues that the real danger to the American worker is too much government–in other words: too many taxes and too much spending. Prof. Lazear writes: During the debt-ceiling debate, President Obama characterized his push for higher taxes and less aggressive budget cuts as being helpful … Read more
Read Michael Boskin’s lips
Writing in today’s Wall Street Journal, Stanford economist Michael Boskin warns that the specter of “growth-destroying confiscatory” tax rates looms if the Obama Administration has its way. Be afraid. Be very afraid. Or maybe not. The Administration’s proposed changes to the tax code are neither as dramatic not as alarming as Boskin presents. During the … Read more