EconLib Newsletter

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
The important thing is not to stop questioning."
~Albert Einstein

March was the month the world changed. We hope with all our hearts that you are safe and well. And we hope that we have served you appropriately for these times. If you missed our special newsletter edition about online teaching, you can find it here ([link removed]) .

We remain as committed as ever to bringing you the best economics content on the Web. While the COVID-19 pandemic has taken much of our attention, as with everyone, we continue to provide plenty of non-virus-related content. Check out our new Feature Articles below, join Bryan Caplan's new book club ([link removed]) , explore a classic title ([link removed]) you haven't had time for before, or watch an interview at Econlib Videos ([link removed]) .

As always, we welcome your feedback, and we love to hear from you. Feel free to drop us an email at [email protected] anytime.


Econlib Feature Articles, April 2020
[link removed]

Is State Education Justified? An Appreciation of E.G. West's
Education and the State

By Kevin Currie-Knight

In our newest Liberty Classic, Currie-Knight explores why we seldom subject government involvement in K12 education to the same scrutiny as other economic interventions. West's historical research demonstrated clearly that state educational systems likely do not produce the benefits attributed to them (lower crime rates, improved human capital, increased literacy), at least in a way that justifies state provision of education. Read More. ([link removed])

Sick of Metaphors: Reading
Robert Shiller’s Narrative Economics

by Sarah Skwire

"It seems as if Shiller’s focus on epidemiology as a way to understand the spread of economic ideas should make the book feel up to date in significant ways. Oddly, there is nothing like the frightening reality of an actual epidemic to make a metaphorized one feel out of date."
Read More. ([link removed])

Fixed Personality Traits,
Randomly Arrived At

by Arnold Kling


The debate about nature versus nurture is nothing new, but in this month's review, Arnold Kling starts with the importance of gestation, pivoting to a consideration of human nature as a set of individual mental disorders. What does this mean??? Read More. ([link removed])

Climate Change:
What is (Not) To Be Done
by Pedro Schwartz
Last month, Pedro Schwartz explored the possible role for political economists in the ongoing discussion of climate change. In this follow-up, he explores whether a spontaneous correction of impending climate tragedy is possible through the piecemeal innovations of the free market and the growth of cooperative solutions. Read More. ([link removed])
Coronavirus at EconLog

We asked economist Roger Koppl, author of Expert Failure ([link removed]) , to share his thoughts on how this concept applies to and impacts the current pandemic.

In Part 1 ([link removed]) , Koppl explored the structural problems with expertise arising from the division of labor. This poses challenges when thinking about the trade-offs between slowing the spread of the virus and shutting down the economy.

In Part 2 ([link removed]) , Koppl revisits the "silos" of expertise referenced previously, and considers their tendency toward uniformity of opinion. This "enforced orthodoxy" is particularly dangerous in times of crisis such as this when questions of pubic policy are at the forefront.

Finally, in Part 3 ([link removed]) , the tension between expertise in medicine and economics that preclude flexible thinking is contrasted with the practice of questioning. Says Koppl, "The knowledge we need in normal times and crisis times alike is distributed. It’s out there in thee and me and in all our habits practices and experience. It is not a set of instructions and doctrines coming from on high. It arises of its own from our many decentralized interactions."

More Recent Posts
* Pierre Lemieux, Government Failure on a Grand Scale ([link removed])
* Bryan Caplan, Coronavirus Can-Do ([link removed])
* Alberto Mingardi, Coronavirus and the Free Trade Narrative ([link removed])
* David Henderson, How to Hobble the Economy and How to Revive It ([link removed])
* Scott Sumner and Arnold Kling: Macro Responses to COVID-19 ([link removed])
* David Henderson AMA: Libertarians, Markets, and Pandemics ([link removed])

Featured EconTalk Podcast Episodes
Russ Roberts and Tyler Cowen on the COVID-19 Pandemic ([link removed])

Economist and infovore Tyler Cowen ([link removed]) of George Mason University talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts ([link removed]) about the political, social, and economic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

P.S. Don't miss our EconTalk Extra, Quarantine State of Mind, ([link removed]) for this episode, designed to facilitate further thought and discussion on this episode.

More Recent Episodes:
* Yuval Levin on A Time to Build ([link removed])
* Richard Davies on Extreme Economies ([link removed])
* Isabella Tree on Wilding ([link removed])
* Azra Raza on The First Cell ([link removed])
* Jenny Schuetz on Land Regulation and the Housing Market ([link removed])

Join our friends at
AdamSmithWorks ([link removed]) for their next
Virtual Reading Group!

The first session is
Thursday, April 9.

Click here to register. ([link removed])

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