The Resurgence of Tariffs
The Resurgence of Tariffs
President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports and a further 10% tariff on Chinese imports, to take effect on Feb. 1. In doing so Trump built on tariffs he put into effect during his first term—tariffs that President Joe Biden largely kept in place or added to. This resurgence of tariffs...
By Williamson M. Evers
Milei’s First Year: Liberty, Less Regulation, Low Inflation
Milei’s First Year: Liberty, Less Regulation, Low Inflation
There’s something happening here. What it is, ain’t exactly clear. Around the world, there is growing impatience with the orthodoxies and condescension of the progressive left. In the past two years, right-leaning parties have outperformed electoral expectations in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal, and countries such as Hungary, Poland, and — again...
By Michael Munger
Eggs: Incredible, Edible, and Increasingly Inaccessible
Eggs: Incredible, Edible, and Increasingly Inaccessible
Chickens are a remarkably adaptable species, thriving in diverse climates and easily fitting into both small-scale and industrial farming systems. Their ability to consume a wide range of feed, reproduce quickly, and lay eggs consistently has made them an efficient, readily renewable source of protein for mankind. Thus chickens have become a key pillar of...
By Peter C. Earle
Should the Limit on Contactless Payments Be Scrapped?
Should the Limit on Contactless Payments Be Scrapped?
Across the world, contactless payments are revolutionizing daily transactions. Through the tap of your card or the wave of your smartphone, contactless payments have allowed consumers to pay for goods and services in a convenient, quick, and secure way. In 2021, Rishi Sunak (prior to his 2022–2024 premiership) announced that the limit for contactless payments...
By Reem Ibrahim
Right-to-work States Do Not Have Lower Wages
Right-to-work States Do Not Have Lower Wages
A recent analysis by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy refutes an oft-touted claim by unions that right-to-work laws result in lower wages for workers. “Right-to-Work States Do Not Have Lower Wages,” authored by Christopher Douglas, an economics professor at the University of Michigan-Flint, examines a union-funded study that is frequently cited to criticize right-to-work...
America’s Empty Reservoirs
America’s Empty Reservoirs
The devastating wildfires experienced by the people of southern California have left behind many indelible pictures of destruction in recent weeks. But perhaps one picture above all tells the truest tale of the catastrophe: the empty reservoir at Santa Ynez. “This was supposed to be the water to put out the Palisades fire,” stated the...
By Craig Eyermann
How Bureaucracy Fueled the Los Angeles Wildfires
How Bureaucracy Fueled the Los Angeles Wildfires
Eight years ago, American film producer Barry Josephson moved into a hilltop home in Pacific Palisades, the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains. Josephson, whose film credits include Enchanted (2007) and Aliens in the Attic (2009), loved his home. But one issue was a source of chronic...
By Jon Miltimore
The Next American Century Is Now
The Next American Century Is Now
Remember when Japan was predicted to overtake America? Back in the 1980s, Japan was the coming country. Japan’s economy had enjoyed decades of rapid growth. Her exports were everywhere, and with inventions like the Sony Walkman, it looked as though Japan was the technological future, too. America looked like a power in decline. Forty years...
Setting the Record Straight About the Panama Canal
Setting the Record Straight About the Panama Canal
President Trump has convinced many Americans that the Panama Canal, a vital shipping route for international commerce—particularly for cargo going to and originating in the United States—is controlled by China. He views this as a direct threat to the U.S. He also believes that the Panamanians are charging U.S. ships too much for using the...
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa
Economics in Four Words: Everything Has a Cost
Economics in Four Words: Everything Has a Cost
One of the more-common social science cliches in recent decades has been “demographics is destiny.” The thesis, as Oxford University gerontologist Sarah Harper has written, is that “population change plays a key role in our political systems, economies, and societies at the local, national, regional, and global level.” There’s no reason to argue with Professor...
By Richard N. Lorenc
Why We Shouldn’t Be Concerned about AI Replacing Jobs
Why We Shouldn’t Be Concerned about AI Replacing Jobs
I frequently fly from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Vancouver, British Columbia, and then back again. There is no direct airplane route between these two cities. Often, the best route is via a connection through the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. This facility has become almost a second home for me. It alone constitutes almost a veritable...
By Walter Edward Block
Parasitic Ideas and Suicidal Empathy Are Killing the West
Parasitic Ideas and Suicidal Empathy Are Killing the West
The following essay by Dr. Gad Saad, an outspoken public intellectual and trailblazer in applying evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior, appeared on the cover of the January 2025 edition of When Free to Choose. This is my 31st year as a professor. Being an academic is inscribed in my DNA. To be able to create...
By Dr. Gad Saad
Crafting a Crisis: The Unseen Impact of Tariffs on Artisans at Home
Crafting a Crisis: The Unseen Impact of Tariffs on Artisans at Home
For a young woman attempting to knit her first sweater, tariffs might seem like a distant concern, more suited to headlines than handmade goods. But as the Trump administration proposes new tariffs, the ripple effects could reach deep into the heart of not just the crafting world but all small enterprises, tightening a thread of...
By Cait Dexter
How the Word ‘Liberal’ First Became a Political Adjective
How the Word ‘Liberal’ First Became a Political Adjective
The debate about when “liberal” first acquired a political meaning has been resolved. The answer is the 1770s, when the adjective “liberal” became the name of the policy orientation against government restriction, government monopoly, and protectionism, and in favor of individual liberty, premised by a stable, functional system of governmental authority. This policy orientation was...
By Daniel B. Klein, Erik Matson