Bryan Caplan's Blog, page 9

Climate Shock Bet

Daniel Reeves, co-founder of Beeminder, thinks the book Climate Shock is extraordinarily convincing.  He also apparently has a great deal of respect for my intellectual integrity.  The upshot: Reeves has bet me at 2:1 odds that reading Climate Shock will convince me to support markedly greater government action to mitigate climate change.

As we discussed the bet, I warned Reeves that:

I feel bad to pretend I’m more open-minded than I really am.  The honest truth is that I would probably have to...

Our Homeschooling Odyssey

Six years ago, I began homeschooling my elder sons, Aidan and Tristan.  They attended Fairfax County Public Schools for K-6, becoming more disgruntled with every passing year.  Even though they went to an alleged “honors” school for grades 4-6, they were bored out of their minds.  The academic material was too easy and moved far too slowly.  The non-academic material was humiliatingly infantile.  And non-academics – music, dance, chorus, art, poster projects – consumed a majority of their day.  ...

Liberty’s Crisis Crisis

I often remember the parting words of Robert Higgs’ Crisis and Leviathan:

[W]e do know something – at least abstractly – about the future.  We know that other great crises will come.  Whether they will be occasioned by foreign wars, economic collapse, or rampant terrorism, no one can predict with assurances.  Yet in one form of another, great crises will surely come again… When they do, governments almost certainly will gain new powers over economic and social affairs… For those who cherish indi...

Response from a Pro-Life Utilitarian (Sort of)

Six years ago, I asked, “Where are the pro-life utilitarians?” Recently I received this response, reproduced anonymously at the author’s request.

Hey Bryan,

You wanted to ask “where are the pro-life utilitarians”. Well, I think I’d say I’m one of them. Why you’ve not heard of them is simple in my opinion: it’s kind of progressive to talk about non-human animal rights, say, but it is seen as very regressive to be pro-life.

Let me start by saying that I am not totally sure I am a utilitarian, it’...

The American Experiment in Federalist Dictatorship

During Covid, legislatures became extraordinarily deferential to their executives.  Congress deferred to the President, yes.  But more shockingly, state legislatures across the country virtually abdicated in favor of their governors.  On everything Covid-related – and what isn’t “Covid-related”? – governors have essentially ruled by decree since March of 2020.

In short, America is now an elective dictatorship.  Unlike almost all historical dictatorships, however, these are dictatorships within a...

Social Justice Versus Social Anxiety: An Impossible Dialogue

The Scene: A mandatory sexual harassment training seminar for college freshmen.

Training Officer: … So to recap, No always means No, but Yes does not always mean Yes.  Someone who feels pressured will often say Yes when they don’t really mean it.  Be careful not to apply pressure, or else you could be guilty of sexual assault without realizing it.

Anxious Student: [Reacts with horrified look, then collapses.]

Training Officer: Oh my God, what’s happened?

Anxious Student: [Silent, crumpled into a...

How Urban Would a Free Market Be?

Suppose we fully deregulated the housing market.  What would happen?  A common YIMBY trope is that cities would dramatically expand; the endless millions of people who have been priced out of New York, San Francisco, and LA would rush to enjoy affordable, spacious urban living.  A common doubt, however, protests, “Most people don’t want to live in cities!”

What’s the real story?

 

To answer, consider the following scenario.  X and Y are substitutes.  For decades, there has been a 100% tax on X a...

Kealey and Protectionism: Further Thoughts

While I found Terence Kealey’s case for protectionism underwhelming, it definitely got me thinking.  Here are my further thoughts:

1. Early in his presentation, Kealey claimed that free trade is good for rich countries but bad for poor countries.  Yet later in his presentation, he blamed free trade for the post-1980 plight of non-college workers in the UK and US.  What gives?  He could have argued that free trade improved First World living standards overall, but were still a net negative for...

Mises Contra Kealey

Terence Kealey uses the infant-industry argument to defend protectionism.  Here’s what Mises has to say about the same argument:

Take, for instance, the infant industries argument advanced in favor of protection. Its supporters assert that temporary protection is needed in order to develop processing industries in places in which natural conditions for their operation are more favorable or, at least, no less favorable than in the areas in which the already established competitors are located. Th...

Infant Industries and the Dubious Benefits of Barriers

While I was teaching at the John Locke Institute, our Summer School sponsored a debate on free trade between Daniel Hannon and Terence Kealey.  Kealey rested his case for protectionism squarely on the classic infant-industry argument.  Kealey’s version: While free trade does indeed improve efficiency at the moment, the long-run effect is to suppress economic growth in poorer countries.  Why?  Because you don’t improve at doing things that you don’t do.

Suppose a rich country can produce cell ...