Your Free-Market Connector

It’s Not Easy, But We Can All Learn to Think Like Adam Smith

It’s Not Easy, But We Can All Learn to Think Like Adam Smith

When the disciplines of economics and sociology were being invented in Britain 250 years ago, their progenitors such as Adam Smith, David Hume, Adam Ferguson, and others were preoccupied with how vibrant commercial activity and human behavior were related. Economic dynamism was not only about economic growth, money, and the division of labour, though it...

By Ryan Streeter

The Penny Problem Has a Third Option: Buy Them Back (With Interest)

The Penny Problem Has a Third Option: Buy Them Back (With Interest)

Adam Smith recognized the importance of the “make or buy” decision. It is the maxim of every prudent master of a family, never to attempt to make at home what it will cost him more to make than to buy…What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce be folly in that...

By Michael Munger

Employment Stagnation Drives Hiring Down to Near Ten-Year Low (Ex Covid)

Employment Stagnation Drives Hiring Down to Near Ten-Year Low (Ex Covid)

The latest data indicates half of the new jobs the U.S. added in June were government jobs. It’s the weakest month for private-sector jobs in nine months. Additionally, unemployment claims last month reached the highest levels since 2018 (ex covid). There’s another indicator of how stagnant this job market is: the number of hires. In...

By Ryan McMaken

What the End of the Chevron Doctrine Means

What the End of the Chevron Doctrine Means

Regulations by government agencies may often be well-intended. A few may even be essential for maintaining safety standards, environmental quality, and reducing fraud. But the rapid growth of the administrative state interferes with our liberties and hampers our economy. Even estimating the cost of complying with extensive regulations is no easy task. A 2023 report...

By Paul Mueller

Bureaucracy, Conformity, and Mediocrity

Bureaucracy, Conformity, and Mediocrity

Europe’s free university model is often seen as a triumph of modern society. With no crushing tuition bills, minimal student debt, and a promise of equal access, it sounds ideal. In countries like Germany and France, students pay only a small administrative fee, typically between $200 and $500 a year, compared to the staggering tuition...

By Lika Kobeshavidze

Test Your Knowledge of Capitalism in Online Free Enterprise Course

Test Your Knowledge of Capitalism in Online Free Enterprise Course

Northwood University is announcing the culmination of its complimentary online course about free enterprise: The Philosophy of Free Enterprise Certificate of Completion. The Philosophy of Free Enterprise is a complimentary, self-paced course that introduces learners to the foundational principles of free enterprise, including limited government, individual responsibility, the rule of law, voluntary exchange, and the...

By Kate Hessling

Despite Tariffs, Inflation Remained Low in May

Despite Tariffs, Inflation Remained Low in May

New data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis confirm that inflation remained low in May. The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCEPI), which is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation, grew at an annualized rate of 1.6 percent last month. It has averaged 1.1 percent over the last three months and 2.3 percent over...

By William J. Luther

Why DOGE Failed

Why DOGE Failed

When Donald Trump vowed to tackle excessive federal spending, few expected Elon Musk, the world’s most prominent entrepreneur, to lead the charge. Yet, in a move that reflected Trump’s unconventional style, Musk was appointed head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with dismantling the bloated federal bureaucracy. DOGE launched ambitiously, aiming...

By Mohamed Moutii

Rising U.S. Debt: What Will Be The End Game?

Rising U.S. Debt: What Will Be The End Game?

America’s economy is by far the world’s biggest. With a projected 2025 GDP of over $30 trillion, we have been better at bringing prosperity to large groups of people than any nation in history. We’re also the most indebted. In absolute terms, the U.S. owes more money than any other nation, and was recently downgraded...

By Scott Beyer

The Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook Isn’t Conservative — It’s Central Planning

The Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook Isn’t Conservative — It’s Central Planning

The Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook, published by American Compass, The Foundation for American Innovation, The Institute for Progress, and New American Industrial Alliance (NAIA) Foundation, is being sold as a bold new blueprint for American renewal. It proposes that the federal government directly invest in politically chosen “strategic sectors,” led by a National Investment Council and...

By Vance Ginn

JAWS: 50 Years of the Summer Blockbuster

JAWS: 50 Years of the Summer Blockbuster

“Amity Island had everything. Clear skies. Gentle surf. Warm water. People flocked there every summer. It was the perfect feeding ground.” On June 20, 1975, moviegoers lined up to see a new picture, a pulpy horror movie about a shark. And it delivered, offering popcorn-spilling jump-scares as the shark leapt up on the screen. The...

By Katrina Gulliver

Nostalgianomics, or Economic Amnesia?

Nostalgianomics, or Economic Amnesia?

In his novel Ignorance, the late Milan Kundera called nostalgia “the suffering caused by an unappeased yearning to return.” Nostalgia is a powerful force, particularly so today. For years, Hollywood has tapped into our desire to return to the past to cash in. Though Disney’s 2025 flop Snow White shows the formula is far from...

By Jon Miltimore

Timeless Lessons from ‘The Karate Kid’

Timeless Lessons from ‘The Karate Kid’

The first Karate Kid movie was released in June 1984, and presently, the story lives on with the new release of Karate Kid: Legends. I recently re-watched The Karate Kid and The Karate Kid Part II with my own kids, and these films were just as good as I remembered. When I was growing up...

By Kimberlee Josephson

Historic Campaign to Support Future Free-Enterprise Leaders

Historic Campaign to Support Future Free-Enterprise Leaders

Northwood University has officially launched the public phase of its When We Are Free campaign — a $100 million fundraising initiative to sustain and advance America’s Free Enterprise University! “The When We Are Free campaign is the most ambitious and consequential initiative in Northwood University’s history,” said President Kent MacDonald. “This $100 million effort is...

By Kate Hessling