Donald J. Boudreaux
-
Financial
Mayday! Mayday! We Have Abuse of Emergency Powers
Despite being a proud member of the University of Virginia School of Law Class of 1992, I’m an economist, not…
Read More » -
Financial
Protectionist Angst Is ‘Made in America’ — So Are Lots of Other Things
Over the years, I — like all defenders of free trade — have had countless conversations with protectionists who are…
Read More » -
Financial
Regime Uncertainty and Market Uncertainty
The Great Depression formally began in August 1929, two months before Black Tuesday. Initially, the economic downturn that began late…
Read More » -
Financial
‘Twin Deficits’: A Tale of Fiscal Folly, Not Trade Failure
No notion in economics is responsible for more misunderstanding and misguided government policies than that of the “balance of trade”…
Read More » -
Financial
Are Americans Worse Off Since NAFTA? The Data Say No
What do the following three dates have in common with each other? 1975. January 1, 1994. December 11, 2001. Think…
Read More » -
Financial
America’s Trade ‘Deficit’ Is a Ringing Endorsement
As noted in my previous column, foreign holdings of US dollars are classified as foreign holdings of US assets and,…
Read More » -
Financial
Rethinking Trade Deficits: Foreign Dollar Holdings Are Really US Exports
Donald Trump believes that US trade deficits are evidence that Americans are being “ripped off” by foreign countries. He’s not…
Read More » -
Financial
What, Exactly, Are Negative Externalities?
Economics textbooks feature a coherent theory of how markets can allocate scarce resources in ways that achieve what is plausibly…
Read More » -
Financial
Dynamia, Not Stagnatia
Consider the fictional little country of Dynamia. Although, strictly speaking, this place is a product of my imagination, my imagination…
Read More » -
Financial
The Problem With Retaliatory Protectionism
A familiar excuse for protective tariffs and other trade restrictions goes like this: It would be all well and good…
Read More »