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Opinion
What China’s Hyperinflation in the 1940s Can Teach Americans
Not so long ago, when the dollar was “as good as gold” and so were many other currencies, economists spoke…
Read More » The Death of Mori Arinori, the Japanese Tocqueville
Mori Arinori of Japan (1847-1889) began his service as Japan’s first ambassador to the United States when he was just…
Read More »Mori Arinori: The Japanese Tocqueville (Part 2)
By the time Commodore Matthew Perry sailed his fleet of American gunboats into the harbor of Edo (now Tokyo) in…
Read More »Celebrating Freedom in Prague—Three Decades After Its Liberation from Soviet Socialism
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC—I am in one of my favorite cities this weekend to deliver a speech at European Students for…
Read More »Mori Arinori: The Japanese Tocqueville (Part 1)
In the early 1830s, the French political philosopher and historian Alexis de Tocqueville toured America. He compiled his observations in…
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Opinion
Putting Milton Friedman to Work at 110
My years of teaching college-level economics courses at Northwood University in Midland, Michigan (from 1977-1984) are among the most memorable…
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Opinion
Why Warren Harding’s Reputation Is Receiving a Long Overdue Renovation
A typical head of state craves pomp and circumstance, especially if he’s at the center of it. If others (such…
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Trending Commentary
Russia Almost Sold Alaska to This Tiny European Country Instead of the United States
What conclusions might you draw from the following statistics? At about 1,000 people per square mile, the population densities of…
Read More » Ukrainians Have Been Defying Foreign Invaders for a Thousand Years. Their Courage Is No Surprise
Chicken Kiev may be a popular dish but as the world has learned in recent days, the word “chicken” does…
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Opinion
Meet the World-Famous Astronomer Who Was Also a Wicked Smart Economist
The greatest “Renaissance Man” of the 15th Century was indisputably Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). His interests encompassed painting, engineering, architecture,…
Read More » The ‘Adam Smith of the North’: Meet Finland’s Founding Father of Classical Liberalism
February is the month in which Anders Chydenius was born (1729) as well as the month in which he died…
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Opinion
The Jesse Owens They Don’t Teach You about in History Class
The world’s top athletes in 1936 wrestled with a moral conundrum: “Should I compete in the Olympics or make a…
Read More » ‘There’s No Free Lunch’: A New ‘Daily Devotional’
Books of quotations are ubiquitous. What home does not have at least one or two? Some are dull and uninspiring.…
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Opinion
Remembering a Giant in Economics
Less than nine months before the much-anticipated US midterm elections, it’s not too soon to ask an old question: Is…
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Opinion
America’s First Experiment With Paper (Fiat) Money
George Washington—surveyor, farmer, soldier, and statesman—never thought of himself as an economist but experience taught him a great deal about…
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