EconLib Newsletter

"March is a month of expectation."
~Emily Dickinson

What are your expectations for the coming month? How can we help you meet them? Perhaps there's an economic topic you'd like to see more treatment of? A book you'd like to see reviewed? A guest you'd like to hear on EconTalk? We do hope you'll let us know.

We are looking forward to our next Virtual Reading group.* If you're looking to prep for the conversation, beyond Cohen and Brennan's books, you might take a look at the CEE entries for socialism ([link removed]) and capitalism, ([link removed]) or perhaps Steven Horwitz's Liberty Classic article ([link removed]) on Mises's Socialism.

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our March edition. As always, if you have comments and/or suggestions for us, feel free to drop us an email at [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

* Our last group has the opportunity to pose questions to author Deirdre McCloskey, which resulted in this AMA (Ask Me Anything). ([link removed])
Econlib Feature Articles, March 2020

Adam Smith, Ayn Rand, and the Power of Stories.
by Caroline Breashears

"By reading these authors together, we see a thread of values affirming the liberty narrative running from Smith to Rand. I focus on three related ideas made vivid through their story-telling: voluntary exchange, the connection between trade and liberty, and the preservation of liberty only when government can be restrained." Read More. ([link removed])
[link removed]

Socialism from the Bottom Up:
Where Lawson and Powell Meet Hayek and Buchanan

By Edward J. López

"The travelers’ tales are loose, yet insightful. Along the way, we find out why Sweden isn’t socialist, why a 1991 French-made car sells for $30,000 in Cuba today, why Venezuela actually ran out of beer once, and why the best description of China is “fake socialism.” There’s a wealth of knowledge running throughout these lines, and it’s not just about Peugeots and Polars. We also learn how deadly serious the move toward more socialism can be." Read More. ([link removed])

Climate Change:
A Tragedy of the Commons?
by Pedro Schwartz
"The following questions should be asked before we rush to impose solutions that may jeopardize our commercial and democratic way of life: 1) How prevalent are human actions in causing climate changes? 2) How reliably can the future course of the Earth’s climate be predicted? And 3), how large are the opportunity costs of the measures proposed by the interventionists?" Read More. ([link removed])

The Sexual Revolution as Primal Cause.

by Arnold Kling

In Primal Screams, author Mary Eberstadt argues that diminished sexual taboos have led to flimsy family structures and, in turn, the rise of identity politics. Does this causal connection stand up to scrutiny? Arnold Kling explores in his latest book review. Read More. ([link removed])

Featured EconLog Posts
Featured Post: Pierre Lemieux, Arguments for Compulsory Vaccination ([link removed])

Lemieux recounts the main arguments in favor of compulsory vaccination of children, and explore whether they stand up to economic analysis.

More Recent Posts
* Scott Sumner, The Indian Currency Experiment ([link removed])
* Bryan Caplan, Moral Approximates ([link removed])
* David Henderson, An All Volunteer Military ([link removed])
* Jayme Lemke, To the Victor Goes the History ([link removed])
* Alberto Mingardi, P ([link removed]) ope Francis and the Rich ([link removed])
* Sarah Skwire, Money and Virtue in the Ancient World ([link removed])

Featured EconTalk Podcast Episodes
Peter Singer on The Life You Can Save ([link removed])
Philosopher and author Peter Singer ([link removed]) of Princeton University talks about his book, The Life You Can Save with EconTalk host Russ Roberts ([link removed]) . Singer argues that those of us in the developed world with a high standard of living can and should give/forgo some luxuries and donate instead to reduce poverty and suffering in poor countries.

P.S. Don't miss Alice Temnick's EconTalk Extra, Can and Should We Save the Children? ([link removed]) for this episode, designed to facilitate further thought and discussion on this episode.

P.P.S. The above Extra also featured in last month's Educational Resources collection ([link removed]) from our new sister site, AdamSmithWorks ([link removed]) . Check it out to see more connections to Adam Smith!

More Recent Episodes:
* Richard Robb on Willful ([link removed])
* Marty Makary on The Price We Pay ([link removed])
* Robert Shiller on Narrative Economics ([link removed])
* Dan Klein on Honest Income ([link removed])

From the Concise Encyclopedia of Economics
Featured Entry: Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living ([link removed]) , by Clark Nardinelli

Historians agree that the industrial revolution was one of the most important events in history, marking the rapid transition to the modern age, but they disagree vehemently about many aspects of the event. Of all the disagreements, the oldest one is over how the industrial revolution affected ordinary people, often called the working classes. One group, the pessimists, argues that the living standards of ordinary people fell, while another group, the optimists, believes that living standards rose. Read More ([link removed]) .
* Standards of Living and Modern Economic Growth ([link removed]) , by John V.C. Nye
* See also Ideas and Economic Growth ([link removed]) , by Arnold Kling
* Distribution of Income ([link removed]) , by Frank Levy
* Natural Resources ([link removed]) , by Sue Ann Batey Blackman and William J. Baumol
* Economic Growth ([link removed]) , in High School Economics Topics
* See also Lucas on Growth, Poverty, and Business Cycles ([link removed]) at EconTalk
* See also, Adam Davidson on Manufacturing ([link removed]) at EconTalk
* Thomas Robert Malthus ([link removed]) biography

All month long, you can save 30% on Econlib's Favorite Liberty Fund books. Use promo code ECONLIB5 at check-out to save!

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