economic theory applied to political science
Government subsidies involve policymakers using your money to prop up politically chosen initiatives. Policymakers speak as if using your money to chase lofty, vague ends is morally superior to your…
Government incentives leave people and the economy worse off, not better, by politicians making decisions with other people's resources that they wouldn't make themselves. Gov. Cooper et al. just decided…
Introduction Public-sector unions are central to some of the most contentious public policy issues in contemporary America. Do unions improve or impair the political process and elections? Do police unions…
North Carolina requires a license from the government to be employed in countless professions. Everything from being a taxidermist to a barber requires a license from the state. As JLF’s…
In the best of times, occupational licensing was a notorious public-choice problem. It’s an extreme government regulation that ought to have been reserved for only the most extreme risks. Too…
Gov. Roy Cooper's policies on corporate taxes and corporate welfare can seem confusing at first. In January, he continued his befuddling practice of approving millions of dollars to individual corporations…
The prospect of expanding Medicaid in North Carolina was back in the news recently due to the General Assembly’s return to Raleigh and a newly agreed-upon deal between legislators and…
Public-choice problems are very difficult problems to overcome, even when there is broad agreement across political parties and society that they need to be fixed
Anything done a first time becomes easier to do a second time, for better and for worse. This understanding is why parents force children to try new foods before refusing…
George Leef writes for the Martin Center about a critical problem associated with today’s higher education. Many if not most professors and higher education leaders enjoy pontificating about their high-minded…
The lack of attention given to the national debt crisis by politicians, pundits, and policymakers is always disheartening to me – and it is a crisis. Make no mistake, Republicans…
Sometimes, when trying to explain how a political issue is a thorny mess, I’ve used the phrase “public-choice problem.” Recent examples include such issues as occupational licensing, film incentives, government…