What Happens When Governments Force Corporate Boards to Appoint More Women
A controversial new law in California requires publicly traded companies headquartered in the state to include at least one woman on their board of directors. Supporters of those types of laws even contend that gender quotas could boost firm profitability. However, the
The New Deal and Recovery, Part 14: Fear Itself (Conclusion)
(This post completes my three-part discussion of the "regime uncertainty" hypothesis, according to which the New Deal hampered recovery by causing businessmen to fear policy changes that might render their investments unprofitable. Links to the previous posts about regime uncertainty,
Monetary Pumping and Idle Resources
As a result of the recent stimulus policies employed by the US government and the Fed, most commentators are of the view that the risk of a deepening slump in the US economy on account of the covid-19 pandemic has now
Political Competition vs. Market Competition
[Editor's note: In this selection from The Society of Tomorrow, Gustave de Molinari (1819-1912) discusses how competition in the political and natural worlds differ greatly from competition in the marketplace. We find Molinari makes some observations similar to those of Ludwig von Mises
The Ruling Class Only Cares about Democracy When It Helps Them
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan once remarked that ''[d]emocracy is like a streetcar. When you come to your stop, you get off.'' Say what you want about the Turkish president and his extravagant political ambitions, but Erdogan’s statement reveals an
Alan Payne on a Fascinating History of Competing Business Models
We can gain useful insights by winding business models back in time to see how they emerged and evolved. In the case of competing business models, we can analyze the different outcomes and perhaps assign some cause and effect analysis
The Narrative on Lockdowns and Masks Fails Yet Again
In the past couple of months, our esteemed public health experts have had a rough go of defending the supposedly settled science behind lockdowns and mask mandates. White House covid-19 advisor Andy Slavitt was first on the chopping block back in
The Sterility of Intellectual Standardization
Capitalism is increasingly under attack these days by people who claim that it promotes a collapse of moral values, subordinating all else to the pursuit of individual wealth and pleasure. Often these critics demand either the strict supervision of the
A Rights- and Logic-Based Approach to Pandemics
We all are too familiar with the approach to pandemics taken by governments at all levels in the US. Original Article: "A Rights- and Logic-Based Approach to Pandemics" This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. Narrated by Michael Stack.
The Noneconomic Objections to Capitalism
[Editor's note: this article is excerpted from part IV of The Anti-Capitalistic Mentality. In the nineteenth and twentieth century, socialists often argued that socialism was superior to capitalism because it would deliver a higher standard of living and more consumer goods.