Cato on Campus - Economics: History of Economic Thought

Economics Does Not Lie

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:37:00 EDT

By Guy Sorman: "If economics is finally a science, what, exactly, does it teach? With the help of Columbia University economist Pierre-Andr� Chiappori, I have synthesized its findings into ten propositions. Almost all top economists�those who are recognized as such by their peers and who publish in the leading scientific journals�would endorse them (the exceptions are those like Joseph Stiglitz and Jeffrey Sachs, whose public pronouncements are more political than scientific)."

New on Free Will: Bruce Caldwell on Hayek

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:44:00 EDT

"This week, I talk with Bruce Caldwell, author of Hayek�s Challenge, a wonderfully lucid, comprehensive, and penetrating account of the development of Hayek�s economic and methodological ideas. Hayek is one of my enthusiasms, so I had a great time talking to Bruce, who knows as much about Hayek as anyone." - Will Wilkinson

The Klein Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Polemics

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:49:00 EDT

By Johan Norberg: "To make her case, Klein exaggerates the free-market reforms that take place in times of crisis, often by ignoring central events and rewriting chronologies. She uses loose metaphors and wild distortions to claim that free markets are a form of violence. She confuses libertarianism with corporatism and neoconservatism and blames Milton Friedman for encouraging reform by stealth. To do so, she engages in one of the most malevolent distortions of a thinker that has been done in a major work in recent years."

McCloskey on Capitalism and the Bourgeois Virtues

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:05:00 EDT

"Deirdre McCloskey of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the author of The Bourgeois Virtues talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about capitalism and whether markets make people more ethical or less. They also discuss Adam Smith's world view, whether people were nicer in the Middle Ages, and the role of prudence and love."

The Ultimate Scholar

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:37:00 EST

By Donald J. Boudreaux: "Last Friday, Feb. 8, marked the 10th anniversary of the death of the great economist Julian Simon. Although he never received the professional or popular acclaim of economists such as Milton Friedman, Paul Samuelson or F.A. Hayek, Simon's insights and work rank with those of history's greatest social scientists."

Boettke on Austrian Economics

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:51:00 EST

Pete Boettke, of George Mason University, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the origins and tenets of Austrian economics.

Creative Destruction's Reconstruction: Joseph Schumpeter Revisited

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:29:00 EST

By J. Bradford Delong: "Perhaps this next century will give Schumpeter's work its proper place as the power of innovation to transform, create, enrich, and destroy makes itself manifest globally. And while we marvel at how much he got right, we can hope Schumpeter was wrong in his political analysis. One great test of our era will be whether creative destruction can flourish alongside public order and political liberty."

Adam Smith - A Primer

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:30:00 EST

"Despite his fame, there is still widespread ignorance about the breadth of Adam Smith�s contributions to economics, politics and philosophy. In Adam Smith � A Primer, Eamonn Butler provides an authoritative introduction to the life and work of this �founder of economics�. "

Why We Trade

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:14:00 EST

By Russell Roberts: "We�re used to shrugging off all sorts of rhetorical gobbledygook from our politicians. But when you hear U.S. presidential candidates start to mouth off about free trade, watch your wallet: A discredited 14th-century theory of economics is enjoying a dangerous renaissance in the 2008 campaign. "

The Question of Monopolies

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:24:00 EDT

By Nathaniel Branden. A reader asks "In a society of laissez-faire capitalism, what would prevent the formation of powerful monopolies able to gain control over the entire economy?"

McCraw on Schumpeter, Innovation, and Creative Destruction

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:45:00 EDT

"Thomas McCraw of Harvard University talks about the ideas of Joseph Schumpeter from his book, Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction. McCraw and EconTalk host Russ Roberts discuss innovation, business strategy, the role of mathematics in economics, and Schumpeter's vision of competition embodied in his most important idea--creative destruction."

The History of Economic Thought Website

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:04:00 EDT

This web site serves as a repository of collected links and information on the history of economic thought, from the ancient times until the modern day. It is designed for students and the general public, who are interested in learning about economics from a historical perspective.

The Tradition of Spontaneous Order

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

By Norman Barry: It is not that the theory of spontaneous order precludes planning as such; it is that only planning by individuals in decentralized markets will tend towards an optimal use of knowledge. The central planner has only that knowledge available to him, which is less than that which is co-ordinated among all the agents in a market process. Furthermore, because the future is unknowable, a system that relies on liberty allows for the accidental and spontaneous.