A look back at the best of 2022, and what we're reading in the new year. 

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Econlib Newsletter
January 2023

This month's newsletter brings you our warmest wishes for a Happy New Year! We don't know about you, but our team is feeling as hopeful about this turn of the calendar as we have in several years. We hope it's the same for you! While we're excited about what's to come, we're also proud of many of the good things- and good content- of the past year. The introduction of the No Due Date book club ([link removed]) and Arnold Kling's online book discussions ([link removed]) were tremendous successes and programs we'll continue through this year.

Still, like so many others, we can't resist a list. So while we bring you all NEW Feature Articles each month, we dug into which 2022 pieces were your favorites, so here they are.
* The most read 2022 piece was Arnold Kling's review ([link removed]) of Cowen and Gross' Talent. (Cowen also joined EconTalk host Russ Roberts to talk about the book in this episode from August ([link removed]) .)
* Zachary Gochenour's description of using Homer's epic ([link removed]) , The Odyssey, in his economics classes was the next most-read, and we sure hope it prompted lots more literary explorations, too!
* We weren't surprised to see Don Boudreaux's scathing review of Thomas Piketty's latest ([link removed]) to be at the top of the list...TL;DR, it's not time for socialism...
* Speaking of great literature, Richard Gunderman's article on greed in Tolstoy ([link removed]) (and Adam Smith) was next on the favorites list. This article also served as the basis for this episode of EconTalk ([link removed]) .
* Rounding out the top five is Rosolino Candela's look at the 2022 phenomenon known as "Quiet Quitting," ([link removed]) which he declares has more to do with psychology than economics.

Follow along at EconLog ([link removed]) to find a look back at some of your favorite blog posts for the year, and watch your inboxes for an all NEW EconTalk newsletter hitting later this month!

In the meantime, don't forget to register to join Arnold Kling ([link removed]) (along with Bryan Caplan and Kay Hymowitz) to discuss Richard Reeves' book, Of Boys and Men, on January 11 from 1-2pm EST.

And finally, through January 10, you can purchase a full-year subscription to Peter Boettke's No Due Date book club ([link removed]) at a discounted rate. Don't miss your chance to join us for another great year of reading and conversation.

Until next month, stay well, and stay curious.

NEW Econlib Articles
January 2023

Rejecting the Culture Transplant
By Arnold Kling

"Suppose that a big immigration wave from the world’s poorest countries to the richest countries does take place. What are the chances that this would “wound the goose that lays the golden eggs of global innovation and worldwide prosperity,” as Jones puts it?


Before reading The Culture Transplant, I would have said that there is about a 20 percent chance that the results would be so adverse. After reading the book, I would still rate the chances as about 20 percent. The methods used in the studies that Jones relies on to make his case are often clever and generally approved within the economics profession, but I cannot give them any weight at all." Read More ([link removed]) .
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Constitutional Democracy: Is Democracy Limited by Constitutional Rules?
By Pierre Lemieux

In this new Liberty Classic, Lemieux takes a close look at Geoffrey Brennan and James Buchanan's The Reason of Rules. He reminds us, "If government is not constrained by rules, bad outcomes will occur even under democracy, the regime in which we are interested." Brennan and Buchanan's book, says Lemieux, offers a plausible outline of the process of social contracting, and warrants a closer look. Read More ([link removed]) .

When Searching for Monsters to Destroy, What Do We Fail to Discover?
By Rosolino Candela

This month, Candela reviews Chris Coyne's latest book, in which he shows government failure applies equally to imperialism.

Writes Candela, "In a concise, yet comprehensive manner, Coyne explains the origins of and reassesses the U.S. government’s efforts to preserve, protect, and defend a liberal international order. In searching to destroy illiberalism abroad, Coyne argues that U.S. foreign policymakers have failed to discover not only the cause of illiberalism abroad, but also what has blocked potential paths to international peace..." Read More ([link removed]) .
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Behavioral Versus
Free Market Economics

By Leonidas Zelmanovitz

In this first of a multi-part series, Zelmanovitz lays out the tensions between behavioral economics and free-market economics, arguing that the former can be seen primarily as a response to the success of neoliberalism. Look for another perspective in this space next month! Read More ([link removed]) .

What We're Reading Now
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Welcome to our NEW feature in which we share some of what we are reading this month. We'd love to hear what you're reading, too. Drop us a line at [email protected], or share with us on social media. We love to hear from you!

Some books:
* The Domestic Revolution: How the Introduction of Coal into Victorian Homes Changed Everything ([link removed]) , by Ruth Goodman
* Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Flight to Arras with Nikolai Wenzel at EconLog ([link removed])

Some Substacks we follow:
* Arnold Kling's In My Tribe ([link removed])
* Bryan Caplan's Bet On It ([link removed])
* Virginia Postrel's newsletter ([link removed])
* Bari Wiess (et al) The Free Press ([link removed]) (formerly Common Sense)

EconTalk: Conversations for the Curious

Hannah Ritchie on
Eating Local

Having completed several degrees in environmental science, Hannah Ritchie ([link removed]) nearly left the field out of helplessness and frustration, worried she would never make a real difference. Today, she's a passionate advocate for changing climate messaging, replacing what she believes are paralyzing--and often false--claims with empowering arguments that people can embrace. Listen as the head of research at Our World in Data talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts ([link removed]) about food emissions, low-carbon technologies, and what the data shows about what matters (and what matters much less) when it comes to climate change. Explore more. ([link removed])

More Recent Episodes:
* Judge Glock on Zoning and Local Government ([link removed])
* Arnold Kling on Twitter, FTX, and ChatGPT ([link removed])
* Monica Guzman on Curiosity and Conversation in Contentious Times ([link removed])
* Patrick House on Consciousness ([link removed])


Now that we have you hooked on The Great Antidote podcast at AdamSmithWorks ([link removed]) , here are some recent episodes:
* RUSS ROBERTS ON HOW ADAM SMITH CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE ([link removed])
* DANIEL ROTHSCHILD ON LIBERALISM AND THINK TANKS ([link removed])
* CRAIG BIDDLE ON PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVISM ([link removed])

Upcoming Virtual Reading Group


** STAR TREK AND ADAM SMITH'S MORAL SENTIMENTS
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Is sympathy a learned behavior or is it innate? Is it the sign of an advanced culture? Is imitation an inherent feature of a society? Is it a desirable feature? What makes a society a just society? When is it acceptable to seek to alter characteristics of a society? Is self-command the source of all virtues? These are among the questions Adam Smith addresses in The Theory of Moral Sentiments ([link removed]) . These are also among the questions addressed in Star Trek ([link removed]) . How does The Theory of Moral Sentiments help us think through the moral dilemmas in Star Trek? How does Star Trek help us understand The Theory of Moral Sentiments? In this Virtual Reading Group ([link removed]) we will look at these two works together as a means of thinking about questions of individual behavior and the construct of society.
Pre-registration is required ([link removed]) .
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