Samuel Gregg

Samuel Gregg is the Friedrich Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research, an affiliate scholar at the Acton Institute, and author, most recently, of The Next American Economy: Nation, State, and Markets in an Uncertain World.

Posts by Samuel Gregg

October 30, 2019

Chile in flames

It’s been a good week for the left throughout Latin America. In Columbia, center-left and left-wing parties did well in regional election. Argentina also took a left-turn with a left-wing Peronist easily winning the presidency, and bringing the former president Cristina Kirchner back to office as Vice-President. Continue Reading...
October 10, 2019

Rule of law crumbles — again — in Latin America

It’s no secret that most of Latin America has struggled for a long time with the idea, habits, and practices of rule of law. When one consults rankings such as the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom (which measures for rule of law), it’s a depressing picture, despite notable exceptions like Chile. Continue Reading...
September 19, 2019

Reason and faith at the Heritage Foundation

Since my book Reason, Faith, and the Struggle for Western Civilization appeared in June this year, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the reception. The book seems to have touched upon topics that, while not at the forefront on daily political debate, are on many people’s minds and underlie some of the bigger questions that are to be found just beneath the surface of many contemporary discussions in Western countries. Continue Reading...
September 09, 2019

Argentina returns to its sad economic past

Back in 2015, Mauricio Macri became president of Argentina. He inherited an economy in ruins and a society teetering on the edge of despair after 12 years rule by Peronist populists: first President Nestor Kirchner followed by his wife, Cristina. Continue Reading...
August 29, 2019

Latin America falls behind—again

Economic globalization has brought many economic benefits to the planet, but it’s also true that the benefits have been uneven. One continent which has lagged behind much of the rest of the world is Latin America. Continue Reading...
August 20, 2019

Free marketers should take social conservatives’ concerns more seriously

It’s no secret that major rifts have opened up between advocates of free markets and social conservatives in recent years. As someone who (1) ascribes to what would be conventionally called socially conservative views (though I think they’re more accurately called the insights of natural law and right reason) and (2) regards a free market economy as the most prudent set of economic arrangements for individuals, communities, and nations, I find myself constantly exposed to these debates. Continue Reading...
August 14, 2019

Europe is (again) in economic trouble

With some Americans wondering whether the United States is headed for a recession, it’s worth looking across the Atlantic to see what is happening to the economies of Western Europe. Alas, there are many indicators that much of the old continent is headed, yet again, for a significant economic slide. Continue Reading...
August 08, 2019

Middle-class America’s debt problem

In recent months, the question of America’s ballooning public debt has started receiving more attention. Far less interest, by contrast, has been given to the growing amount of private debt. A recent Wall Street Journal article, however, highlighted a growing phenomenon that, I think, merits more attention. Continue Reading...