free market economics

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Daisies growing out of a rock

Life After Capitalism

Anyone determined to provide a “new economics” must haul a heavy burden of proof up a steep slope of professional resistance. At the summits of academic prestige, economics presents a Delphic façade of math and marble. Read More ›
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Revisiting the Simon-Ehrlich Wager 40 Years On

And so, as you listen to the purveyors of doom on the television and the radio, and read apocalyptic predictions of humanity’s future on Twitter and in the newspapers, bear in mind that with every hungry mouth comes a pair of hands and a brain capable of thought, planning, and innovation. Read More ›
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Photo by Thomas Jensen on Unsplash

Title II is the wrong fit for broadband

My Discovery Institute colleague George Gilder and I issued the following statement in support of FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s vision for smart Internet regulation: Chairman Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission is proposing to return the classification of broadband service from a Title II telecommunications service to a Title I information service, noting that capital expenditures by the the Read More ›

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Deutsche Gesetze, hell

Trump’s Push for Deregulation

On day one President Trump surprised business leaders gathered at the White House, declaring U.S. regulations “out of control” and “in need of 75% or more reduction.” A week later, he boldly signed an executive order requiring repeal of two old rules for every new one that government agencies implement. The fact is that cutting regulations is as critical as Read More ›

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Georg Lutz at Berlin Wall
"Untitled" by Georg Lutz (Rauschebart) on the Berlin Wall at Mühlenstraße (East Side Gallery), 1990.

Why Millennials are Warming to Socialism

Vermont senator and self-proclaimed “democratic socialist” Bernie Sanders vanquished Hillary Clinton in West Virginia last week with more than 51 percent of the vote, to Mrs. Clinton’s 36 percent. The average Appalachian coal miner is not a socialist. Mr. Sanders won because Mrs. Clinton foolishly pledged to destroy the coal industry. Hence, according to a CBS News poll, 44 percent Read More ›

Pope Francis’ Confused Message on the Economy

Writing for Fox News, CWPM Senior Fellow Jay Richards points out that though Pope Francis demonstrates sincere concern for the poor, he has failed to recognize how economic freedom has greatly reduced poverty across the globe. Indeed, thanks to the expansion of free trade, extreme poverty has been cut in half since 1990. Read more as Dr. Richards discusses why Pope Francis needs to clarify his message to distinguish his criticism of corporatist cronyism from a criticism of economies that are founded on rule of law, property rights, and economic freedom.

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George Gilder on Why capitalism works
Still image from Prager U video

Why Capitalism Works

Cultural depictions of capitalism are almost all negative. There’s the Monopoly guy with the top hat and cigar. There’s Gordon Gekko saying, “Greed is good.” And, most recently, there’s the hedonism of the “Wolf of Wall Street”. The message is clear: capitalism is selfish. Socialism, or something like it, is selfless. In fact, the opposite is true. Renowned social critic Read More ›

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Home For Sale Sign in Front of New House
Licensed from Adobe Stock

Understanding Capitalism and Fading College Affordability

Just a generation after capitalism triumphed with the collapse of the Soviet socialist system, a recent Pew poll reports that 49 percent of Americans 18-29 years old have a positive view of socialism while only 46 percent have positive views of capitalism. The ambivalence toward capitalism is due in part to the influence of the information and entertainment class — Read More ›

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Forex candlestick pattern. Trading chart concept. Financial market chart. Human head silhouette. 3D rendering

Information, the Entrepreneur, and George Gilder’s New Economic Thinking

Gilder draws on information theory, as developed by the famed mathematician Claude Shannon and others, as a central metaphor for the economy. In Gilder's rendition, information consists of striking surprises conveyed over a quiet, stable channel. Gilder then adapts this metaphor to economic phenomena, including entrepreneurship, finance, the role of government, and income redistribution. Read More ›