Clik here to view.
The End of Cap and Trade?
No, not for carbon. For sulfur dioxide. As noted by Mark Peters at the Wall Street Journal: The original U.S. cap-and-trade market, which succeeded in slashing the power-plant emissions that cause acid...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What To Do With Fannie and Freddie?
The Economist asked several experts to recommend options for resolving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two failed mortgage giants. In addition to comments, the magazine’s web site allows users to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Positive Feedback and the Flash Crash
The CFTC and SEC staffs are out with their analysis of the May 6 “flash crash.” Short version: A large trader (identified by the media as Waddell & Reed) initiated a large sell order to be executed...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DC’s New Mayor Should Say No to Taxi Medallions
I love taxi medallions. As an example for my microeconomics students, not as policy. Just last week, I used New York City’s medallion system to show how an entry barrier — the requirement that each...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Grinch Recast as Economic Parable
Over at Forbes.com, Art Carden has a brilliant retelling of Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (ht: Greg Mankiw). Carden recasts the story as a parable about externalities and property...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CBO Weighs in on Fannie and Freddie
Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released its long-awaited report on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Role in the Secondary Mortgage Market...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Rising Risk of Antibiotic Resistance
Scary theme of the week? Rising antibiotic resistance. Megan McArdle highlighted this challenge in her presentation at the Kauffman bloggers event on Friday; if you have a moment, check out her chart...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Taxi Medallions in DC: Who Would Win and Lose?
Today’s lesson in political economy: the looming battle over Washington’s cab market. Three members of DC’s City Council (Marion Barry, Harry Thomas, Jr., and Michael Brown) want to require every taxi...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Regulatory Uncertainty and Our Weak Economy
Over at the Economist’s Free Exchange blog, Grep Ip offers an excellent, balanced analysis of regulatory uncertainty and our weak economy. Here’s a short excerpt: How much of our economic malaise can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Conservative Principles for Environmental Reform
Case Western Law Professor Jonathan Adler just released an interesting paper setting out a conservative case for environmental protection. Here’s his abstract: The existing environmental regulatory...
View ArticleShould Congress Use The Income Tax To Discourage Consumer Drug Ads?
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and a score of Democratic cosponsors want to use the tax code to discourage direct-to-consumer advertising by drug companies. Their bill, the End Taxpayer Subsidies for...
View Article