What international issues become national interests worth fighting for, and why?
That sentence starts the abstract, here is the rest of it: Contrary to conventional wisdom, I argue that issues without clear economic value, such as barren lands, are more likely to be perceived as...
View ArticleDo high interest rates get people down?
Unemployment is low and inflation is falling, but consumer sentiment remains depressed. This has confounded economists, who historically rely on these two variables to gauge how consumers feel about...
View ArticleKind of like the NBA All-Star game
BREAKING: Queen Camilla is taking a break from public duties for some "downtime", which means that NONE of the four most senior royals – King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton...
View ArticleHiring on general talent makes more sense in high-trust environments
This article argues that a society’s level of social trust influences employers’ hiring strategies. Employers can focus either on applicants’ potential and select on foundational skills (e.g., social...
View ArticleSmall countries, big firms
That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one excerpt: From both a biomedical and economic point of view, the success of the new class of weight-loss drugs is something to behold. Not...
View ArticleIn Conversation with Próspera CEO Erick Brimen & Vitalia Co-Founder Niklas...
During my visit to Prospera, one of Honduras’ private governments under the ZEDE law, I interviewed Prospera CEO Erick Brimen and Vitalia co-founder Niklas Anzinger. I learned a lot in the interview...
View ArticleThe Irish reject a “Woke” constitutional change
Ireland’s effort to remove old-fashioned family values from its constitution suffered a double defeat Saturday as voters rejected the amendments on offer as maddeningly vague and threatening to...
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Indigenous Charter Cities
A charter city is a special zone with a charter granting significant autonomy from the host country’s regulations. Hong Kong, a succesful Chinese city operating under British law, was one early...
View ArticleDo current trends in drone technology favor offense or defense?
At first people thought that drones favored defense, since Ukraine, in its war against Russia, was defending successfully with drones. But now Ukraine is using drones to attack Russia, and Russian oil...
View Article*Nuclear War: A Scenario*
By Annie Jacobsen, a very good book. What would happen if a nuclear weapon actually were launched at the United States? On the ground? In the chain of command? Organizationally and otherwise? A...
View ArticleMy Conversation with Fareed Zakaria
Here is the audio, video, and transcript. You can tell he knows what an interview is! At the same time, he understands this differs from many of his other venues and he responds with flying colors....
View ArticleWhat should I ask Brian Winter?
Yes I will be doing a Conversation with him. Here is his bio: Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly and a seasoned analyst of Latin American politics, with more than 20 years...
View Article*Accelerating India’s Development*
The author is Karthik Muralidharan, and the subtitle is A State-Led Roapmap for Effective Governance. If you imagine a 600 pp. “state capacity libertarian” take on Indian development this is what you...
View ArticleBuild Back Key Bridge Better
The collapse of the Key Bridge is a national disaster but also an opportunity for societal advancement. We must rebuild but in doing so we must also address the historical discrimination faced by...
View Article*The Carnation Revolution*
The author is Alex Fernandes, and the subtitle is The Day Portugal’s Dictatorship Fell. A very good and well-written book, here is one short excerpt: The First Republic is sixteen years of unrelenting...
View ArticleMy excellent Conversation with Peter Thiel
Here is the audio, video, and transcript, along with almost thirty minutes of audience questions, filmed in Miami. Here is the episode summary: Tyler and Peter Thiel dive deep into the complexities of...
View ArticleDo protests matter?
Only rarely: Recent social movements stand out by their spontaneous nature and lack of stable leadership, raising doubts on their ability to generate political change. This article provides systematic...
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Four Thousand Years of Egyptian Women Pictured
In an excellent, deep-dive Alice Evans looks at patriarchy in Egypt using pictures drawn from four thousand years of history. Here are three examples. A wealthy woman, shown at right circa 116 CE....
View ArticleTrade reform and economic growth
From the excellent Doug Irwin: Do trade reforms that significantly reduce import barriers lead to faster economic growth? In the twenty-five years since Rodríguez and Rodrik’s (2000) critical survey of...
View ArticleTrump and the Fed
That is the topic of my latest Bloomberg column, here is one bit: Trump advisers have been drafting plans to limit significantly the operating autonomy of the Fed. The Trump campaign has disavowed...
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