Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Economics

August 23, 2024

Three Cheers for Color-Blindness

Until the philosophy which holds one race Superior and another inferior Is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned Everywhere is war, me say war. —Bob Marley, “War”   In his compelling new treatise on race, The Virtue of Color-Blindness, Andre Archie laments that no one has made the “conservative case for the virtue of American color-blind principles in a manner that addresses our present turmoil.” Continue Reading...
August 06, 2024

Four Economic Lessons from Plato’s Republic

When we consider the origin of the fundamental principles of economics, most of us think of Adam Smith and his Wealth of Nations. Smith arguably pioneered economics as its own discipline with this groundbreaking articulation of the workings of the free market. Continue Reading...
July 23, 2024

Bigness: American Dream or Nightmare?

Alexander Hamilton, one of America’s Founding Fathers, envisioned a nation not just agriculturally strong but also one that proved to be an industrial powerhouse. His plan centered on a strong private sector with competitive businesses and a supportive, not restrictive, government. Continue Reading...
April 17, 2024

Is Apple a Monopoly?

We all know that person who always seems to have the latest Apple gadget. In many ways, Apple products have become a status symbol. While there is a dedicated and loyal group of Apple fans who believe there are no other options and those who view these products as an external signal to the world that they are superior, most of us consider an array of factors when deciding which products to buy or streaming service to select. Continue Reading...
December 27, 2023

A Fine Primer on Universal Basic Income

Universal basic income (UBI), freedom dividends, permanent fund dividends, guaranteed income … these are all names that have been used over the past 200 years to describe the same essential policy proposition: to provide a permanent income to citizens from their government. Continue Reading...
October 13, 2023

Claudia Goldin Is the Ideal Academic Researcher

Harvard’s Claudia Goldin is our newest Nobel laureate in economics. Her accumulated efforts have helped us better understand women’s roles in the labor market—both historically and in contemporary society. It’s worth noting that the economics prize isn’t one of the awards funded by Alfred Nobel’s initial endowment. Continue Reading...