Thoughts & Views

Thanksgiving 2020 for an Economist

Hindsight is 20/20, or so the saying goes. This year of 2020 has been most unusual. Even as news of the novel coronavirus emerged at...

Revisiting "The Economic Good of a Pandemic"

Back in February, I wrote about the economic good of a pandemic. Not much time has elapsed, but much has transpired. I didn’t foresee...

Breaking Up Facebook May Not Accomplish Much

Using antitrust laws to break up Facebook may not bring about the consumer choice that proponents want. Published by The Sunwater...

Property Rights Are No Excuse to Restrict Property Rights

Commentary on a piece in Yale Climate Connections arguing that climate policy is needed to strengthen property rights, while...

Who Has Property Rights in Abandoned Shipwrecks?

If you lose something and stop looking for it for years, do you own it once someone else finds it? Treasure hunters and archaeologists...

Property Rights Restricted by Supreme Court of Wisconsin in Waterfront Case

If you own property along a river or lake, you are generally allowed to build a pier, dock, etc. In Wisconsin, if the lake is man-made...

Taxing Property Like Income Does Not Respect Property Rights

Dark store appeals successfully reduce property tax liability. If property is assessed at market value, this is reasonable. Some cities...

The Economic Good of a Pandemic

Published by the Bagwell Center for the Study of Markets and Economic Opportunity at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business....

A Bundle of Rights Needs a Bundle of Good Institutions

Someone's house was sold out from under him using a forged quitclaim deed. This could have been prevented by some very simple rules. ...

Lake Erie's Bill of Rights

A city wanted to let its residents sue polluters in Lake Erie's behalf, but the Ohio state legislature put a stop to that. This why the...

You Can't Fix a Problem with What Caused It

One city imposed strict limits on construction, infringing property rights, driving up property prices, and contributing to homelessness....

Amazon's Audible Lawsuit Could Reconcile Patent and Copyright Law

Patent law and copyright law differ rather sharply, but a lawsuit may bring them closer together. Read more at The Sunwater Institute.

Experimental Ebola Vaccine Reveals a Market Solution in the Developing World

An Ebola vaccine was in the works well before the recent outbreak, but it was shelved because there was a lack of a market. A few simple...

Hong Kong's Protests Are About Economic Freedom and Opportunity

Published by the Bagwell Center for the Study of Markets and Economic Opportunity at Kennesaw State University Coles College of Business....