Stephen Hicks

Good Monopoly, Bad Monopoly: When Are Monopolies Actually a Problem? [Good Life series]

Let me give you some examples of monopolies and ask: Which are good and which are bad? 1. Megan and Ramon begin dating and become enraptured of each other. Soon they are monopolizing each other’s time and decide to form a lifetime, exclusive relationship. 2. A town in a remote area has a few stores

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Krause’s 2016 index of institutional quality

Last month I linked to the 2015 edition of “INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY 2015” [pdf], which ranks 193 countries in three categories: Institutional Quality, Political Institutions, Market Institutions. Here is the new 2016 edition, in Spanish and English. Martín Krause is Professor of Economics and the University of Buenos Aires and a specialist in law and economics

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Who Is Really Serious About Monopolies? [Good Life series]

Raise the topic of monopolies, and the ensuing discussion will quickly highlight ideological blind-spots. A colleague with whom I’ve taught courses in business and capitalism sent to me, enthusiastically, this article by Paul Krugman, a Nobel-Prize-winning economist. Krugman attacks Amazon and calls for it to be cut down a few notches. Amazon, he says, has

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A batalha pelas universidades [Portuguese translation]

Primeiro ponto: os manifestantes não são nem “flocos de neve” que derretem quando o clima esquenta, nem “flores delicadas” cujos sentimentos são machucados. Os estudantes universitários já viram filmes violentos, terminaram relacionamentos, leram coisas grotescas na internet, viram filmes pornôs, perderam pessoas queridas, e ouviram notícias trágicas sobre eventos ao redor do mundo. Ainda assim,

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Our Schizophrenic Politics — Sex, Health, Religion, Money, and Other Important Stuff [Good Life series]

schiz•o•phren•ic, adjective: Of, relating to, or characterized by the coexistence of disparate or antagonistic elements. Let’s talk about one reason why politics makes us all a little crazy — its incoherent mix of laws and regulations. (Warning: overcharged metaphor ahead.) Not only does the left hand of government often not know what the right hand

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Ukrainian translation of Nietzsche and the Nazis published

Mariupol State University Press has published the Ukrainian translation of my Nietzsche and the Nazis book. Much thanks to Dr. Przemysław Zientkowski for initiating the project and to the team at MSUP for producing it. Here is is the book’s description in English: Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is famous for his statement that “God is dead”

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