Tag: Bryan Caplan
Highlights from our Reddit AMA with Professor Bryan Caplan
June 28, 2017 | Post
“From the evidence I’ve seen, propaganda works – though not nearly as well as the propagandists would hope.”
Reddit AMA with Economist and Iconoclast, Professor Bryan Caplan
June 15, 2017 | Post
Bryan Caplan is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University. He is a prolific blogger and author of three books: The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies (2007), Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think (2011), and the forthcoming The Case […]
Bryan Caplan: Is immigration a basic human right?
March 31, 2017 | Post
Editors Note: On March 16th George Mason University Professor of Economics Bryan Caplan debated Washington University Professor of Philosophy Christopher Wellman on the topic, “Is Immigration a Basic Human Right?” Below is Professor Caplan’s opening statement. There are many complaints about governments, but the harshest is, “This government grossly violates human rights.” The background assumption is that […]
Why libertarians should oppose the Universal Basic Income
March 24, 2017 | Post
Here’s my opening statement for my Students for Liberty debate with Will Wilkinson. Enjoy. Libertarians have a standard set of fundamental criticisms of the welfare state. Forced charity is unjust. Individuals have a moral right to decide if and when they want to help others. Forced charity is unnecessary. In a free market, voluntary donations […]
Better market-oriented proposals that reduce income inequality
February 15, 2017 | Post
I was initially excited to see that progressive Dean Baker has written a piece on “Eight Market-Oriented Proposals That Reduce Income Inequality” for AEI. It begins promisingly by criticizing overly strict occupational licensing for high-skilled workers. But it then studiously avoids the really big wins. Namely: 1. Immigration. High-skilled immigration reduces conventionally measured inequality by […]
Do animals have rights? Professors Bryan Caplan and Michael Huemer discuss
November 1, 2016 | Post
What’s the appropriate balance between the rights of animals and the comfort and quality of life of humans?
The dystopian novel that foresaw the nightmares of socialism
October 27, 2016 | Post
Decades before the socialists gained power, Eugene Richter saw the writing on the wall.
Apolitical reasons to hate politics
October 25, 2016 | Post
Politics isn’t just bad; It’s the worst. It brings out the literal worst in people.
Myth of the Rational Voter 2016
March 11, 2016 | Post
The following post by Bryan Caplan appeared over at EconLog on March 1st, 2016. In 2007, I published The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies. Every presidential election year, people ask for an update, and I normally say, “Nothing’s changed.” But 2016 really does look like an outlier. My thoughts: 1. […]
Biases and Americans’ support for bombing the city from Aladdin
January 6, 2016 | Post
A recent survey showed that 30% of Republicans and 19% of Democrats said they would support bombing Agrabah. For those of you who haven’t watched Disney’s Aladdin recently, Agrabah is the fictional city in which the movie takes place. While it’s disheartening to realize the level of ignorance about geography and culture a question like this […]
Will You Vote Well?
January 4, 2016 | Post
What should you read between now and Election Day? If you’re only going to read one political book, you should make it Jason Brennan’s The Ethics of Voting. If you’re going to read a second, I nominate Bryan Caplan’s The Myth of the Rational Voter. If you’re going to read a third, you should read […]
Announcing Institute for Humane Studies at the International Students For Liberty Conference 2016
December 17, 2015 | Post
Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) has a few breakout sessions at ISFLC 2016 you wont want to miss. Be sure to register for ISFLC before the new year when prices jump! Looking for another reason to attend the 9th International Students For Liberty Conference? I’ve got three: David Friedman, Bryan Caplan, and Antony Davies. The […]
Featured On Demand Program of the Week: The Immigration Debate
November 2, 2015 | Post
With presidential contenders like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders making a fuss about foreign laborers coming to the country and depressing wages or murdering our women and children immigration reform has once again moved to the front lines of presidential politics. Have you ever wanted to cut through the demagoguery and fear-mongering and get plain […]
My Path to Open Borders
October 15, 2015 | Post
This excellent post by Bryan Caplan, professor of economics at George Mason University, was originally featured at OpenBorders in January of 2013. Below is an excerpt. I changed my mind about proper immigration policy in my senior year of high school. The impetus, as usual for me, was not first-hand experience, but abstract argument. After […]