Economics

In his new book, Arthur Brooks demonstrates how earned success, true fairness and helping those in need are the foundation of the moral case for free enterprise. "The Road to Freedom" establishes the moral imperative of free enterprise.

Sometimes you just know you're going to get along with someone, even before meeting (or Skyping with) them. Such was the case with both of my guests this week on Values & Capitalism's official podcast: "The RJ Moeller Show."

Arthur Laffer is an economist of some fame among conservatives since his days in the Reagan administration. His namesake theory states that there is an optimum tax rate for government revenues before the tax burden starts hurting the economy and government revenues fall.

The modern world looks back on centuries of religious persecution with horror. Thomas Hobbes’s 17th century work on political theory, "Leviathan," features the image of a kingly figure holding a sword in one hand and a bishop’s crosier in the other—the very personification of political and religious authority.

We are hiring a program manager for Values & Capitalism. Eric Teetsel, who started this initiative at AEI and has built the program into what it is today, is now moving on to another opportunity.

People often worry that unregulated markets will not sufficiently provide good things: education, charity, diversity of opinion, art, etc. It is also commonly believed that markets allow too many bad things: racism, discrimination, environmental degradation, consumer scams, low quality or dangerous products, etc.

In my previous post I explained why the government should not regulate tariffs due to their harmful consequences toward consumers and innovation. This is part five of a book series on Free to Choose by Milton Friedman.

I promised to check back in and relay the discussion my book club had over distributism as we talked about G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries. The discussion was rather short. We all felt we needed more information and felt suspicious of how the idea would work without excessive government coercion.

In the second chapter, Friedman writes on the role of government as it relates to trade. He makes a strong case for free trade, and specifically focuses on international trade. However, the same principles ought to be applied to domestic trade.

Some people think the free market is full of greedy men who respond to monetary stimuli. But this isn’t the essence of a market (despite some types of those men acting within the free market).

Over at the Enterprise blog, Jim Pethokoukis highlighted a section of the speech AEI President Arthur Brooks gave at CPAC on Thursday: "For too long, President Obama and American liberals have claimed the moral high ground on fairness..."

This Christmas I asked for and received Free to Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman. I’ve been a big fan of Milton for a while now, be it reading some articles online or watching YouTube videos of him.

Is this situation familiar to you? You are hanging out with a liberal friend, maybe at your local fair-trade coffee shop. Another friend you’ve been waiting for shows up late because he or she had to stop at the store and pick up something.

Below are our most popular posts of 2011. Thank you for contributing to the discussion at Values and Capitalism this past year. Happy New Year!

On Friday afternoons, we bring you the best of our blog and the best of the web. This week's round-up includes a new video on cronyism, book recommendations, and a podcast and video that you shouldn't miss.

If you visit an “Occupy” protest, you might read signs that say “Capitalism Breeds Materialism” or “Jesus is not for Corporate Greed.” Anti-capitalist slogans suggest free markets are inherently evil, unbiblical and foster a culture of covetousness and exploitation.

On October 13, 2011, Arthur Brooks of AEI and Jim Wallis of Sojourners spoke at the Christian Community Development Association Conference in Indianapolis.

Why are we always so surprised when a crisis strikes the economy? Bankers, investors and homeowners alike watched the stock market tumble in 2008 with wide eyes, as if it has never happened before—at least not like this.

When I think of Arthur Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute, there's one particular quote that comes to mind.

"Capitalism Awareness Week, Sep 27—Oct 4, is a series of free lectures, debates, and Q&A, held on campuses across the country and broadcast live online. These events will present a historical, economic and philosophical case for capitalism as the ideal social system. They will answer: What is capitalism? Does it work? And, most importantly, is it moral?"

At The Daily Caller, Rebecca Cusey writes: "Moneyball," the new movie about baseball, does something that few Hollywood films do: It respects and celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship.

A fully functioning free market in Russia. A non-corrupt government in Sudan. A stable democracy in Iraq. A bustling economy in Afghanistan.

In a recent talk for Marketplace One, Anthony Bradley provides some good insights into how we should approach privilege, pointing to a truth often brushed to the sidelines by conservatives and libertarians: it exists, and it matters.

Be sure to catch this podcast recorded by Caleb Brown of the Cato Institute.

On our blog and across the Internet, the philosophy of Ayn Rand and its compatibility with Christianity have been widely debated. Over at RemnantCulture.com, Joseph Sunde recently ran a series dealing with the topic.

The poor in the US are doing very well compared to the poor in Kenya and enjoy things like quality housing, access to health care, basic education, and enough food so that obesity is their biggest nutritional threat. The rich in this country are also far better off than the rich in Kenya.

Arthur Brooks, in his lecture to college students at the first "Purpose & Prosperi

As we think about the poor, the rich, the disadvantaged, and ourselves, I want to clarify two terms that are often confused; namely charity and fairness. Charity is usually defined as providing help or relief, often monetarily, to those in need.

Good intentions are not enough. This statement sums up the primary critique free-marketers have against our central-planning counterparts. Joseph Sunde made this point in his post about fair trade.

Hans Rosling recently gave a TED talk on 

My wife owns a handmade apparel business, and because of her success, she is frequently contacted by companies looking for publicity

When an advocate for free enterprise (and the superiority of the private sector) wants to convey why it is a bad idea to have the government run something that the private sector could (or sometimes, already does) run better, a reference to the Department of Motor Vehicle is usually employed.

A few months back I posted something on “

AEI president Arthur Brooks and Sojourners founder Jim Wallis joined to discuss the question, "Does capitalism have a soul?" The event, held October 28, 2010 on the campus of Wheaton College (IL), was moderated by Washington Post writer Michael Gerson.

I was 6 years old when the Soviet Union fell apart. For most guys my age, memories from 1991 consist mostly of LEGOs and Super Mario Bros. For me, however, it was the kick-off to my political education.