What Should Economics Do NOW? 💡

Econlib Newsletter
March 2022

Dear friends,

Is March coming in like a lion or a lamb where you are? Here in the American Midwest, we're experiencing spring one day and winter the next. In other words, the usual.

All eyes are on Ukraine as we write, and our hopes and thoughts are with them. Here are some of the most recent EconLog posts dealing with the unfolding crisis:

Scott Sumner, Foreign Policy is Hard (March 5)
Pierre Lemieux, The Difficult Life of a Dictator (March 3)
David Henderson, Not So SWIFT (February 28)
Pierre Lemieux, Lessons from the Economic Sanctions Against Russia (February 28)
Scott Sumner, There is no such thing as Russian public opinion (February 25)

February was also the last month for Bryan Caplan at EconLog. Bryan was the original EconLog writer, and helped shape the blog into what it is today. His influence will be felt for years to come. We hope you'll join us in congratulating Bryan on his new blog venture, Bet On It. We're excited to follow him there, and are looking forward to cooking up new projects with him in the days and months to come. In the meantime, you can still join regular bloggers David Henderson, Pierre Lemieux, Alberto Mingardi, and Scott Sumner, along with numerous other talented contributors for your daily fix.

Until next month, stay well, and stay curious.

Forward

NEW Econlib Articles: March 2022

What Should Economists Do Now?

By Mikayla Novak

Mikayla Novak starts her review of Diane Coyle's new book noting that the discipline of economics has been under siege in recent decades. As such, "In the context of the contemporary revolt against economics, one might be at risk of airily dismissing the value of Diane Coyle’s latest book, Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is, and What It Should Be. One may be tempted to merely note in passing the book as yet another literary assault on an academic discipline and profession under immense strain, but to dismiss Coyle’s contribution would be a significant mistake." Read More.

Can We Pick Better Leaders?

By Arnold Kling

"We are familiar with the phrase “Power corrupts.” Brian Klaas argues that the problem lies in the process by which people obtain and retain power. If we fix that process, we can get better leaders." Not so fast, writes Arnold Kling in this moneth's review... Read More.

Those Old Oil Company Ads:
Misleading, False, or Simply Reasonable?

By Robert L. Bradley Jr.
and Richard W. Fulmer

Is Big Oil guilty of climate crimes? According to a recent article in The Guardian, they are. At the root of the crime is a series of advertisements in the 1980s and 90s which the authors regard as reckless and misleading. Bradley and
Fulmer take on the case and consider just what the oil companies knew and when. Read More.

Hayek: Between Classical Liberalism and Conservatism?

By Pierre Lemieux

Fifty years ago next year, F.A. Hayek, soon to be awarded a Nobel Prize in economics, published Rules and Order, the first volume of his trilogy Law, Legislation, and Liberty. This year, a new and consolidated edition, edited by Jeremy Shearmur, has been released. Pierre Lemieux looks at the first part of this new book, examining whether Hayek became more conservative toward the end of his career. Read More.

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious

Tamar Haspel on First-Hand Food

What did author and Washington Post columnist Tamar Haspel learn from her quest to eat at least one thing she'd grown, caught, or killed every day? For starters, that just-caught fish always tastes better (unless you've caught a false albacore). That all it takes to build a coop is the will and the right power tools, and that when it comes to homegrown produce, you've got none until you've got way too much. But most of all, she tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts in talking about her book To Boldly Grow, she learned that figuring stuff out to solve problems is more delicious than the most decadent of desserts. Explore more.

More Recent Episodes:

It's not too late, join today!

No Due Date is our NEW subscription economics book club. Curated by Pete Boettke, you’ll spend a whole year reading with him exploring the best in economics and the social sciences–both classic and contemporary.

We've pro-rated the subscription price, so subscribe now for ten months of engaging reading with friends!

Click here to learn more and subscribe!

Copyright © 2022, Liberty Fund, Inc. All rights reserved.

11301 North Meridian Street, Carmel, IN 46032-4564

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.