Reinforcing what economic theory tells us, evidence of the harm of price controls abounds in history, from the infamous 303 A.D. Edict of Emperor Diocletian in Ancient Rome to America’s 1970s gasoline price controls and, perhaps most infamously, New York City’s disastrous eight-decade-long experiment with rent control.
Raymond C. Niles
Raymond C. Niles is a Senior Fellow the American Institute for Economic Research. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and an MBA in Finance & Economics from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. Prior to embarking on his academic career, Niles worked for more than 15 years on Wall Street as a senior equity research analyst at Citigroup, Schroders, and Goldman Sachs, and as managing partner of a hedge fund investing in energy securities. Niles has published a book chapter and numerous articles in scholarly and popular publications.
The Lottery Life: Creating Lucky Housing Winners at the Expense of Everyone Else
End the “Lottery Life” in housing and watch market entrepreneurs do the rest.
End the Gasoline Crisis: Try Motivation by Love, Not Fear
After thwarting the oil industry by banning pipelines and new oil and gas leases after his inauguration, Biden’s recent proposals are watered-down varieties of the failed policies that created the multiple gas crises that rocked the nation in the 1970s.
The Perpetual Tragedy of New York’s Rent Control
“In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city — except for bombing.”
Biden Administration Embraces Trump’s Mercantalist Economics
The Biden Administration has decided to extend Trump’s mercantilist trade policies. Hostility to free trade Is now officially bipartisan.
What Effect Does “Climate Change” Have on Human Life?
Wealth is our protection against the potential effect of climate change.
Remembering the World Trade Center 20 Years After 9/11
I remember that day so well, too well. It is almost like it was yesterday.
Wuhan Lab Controversy Illustrates How Government Funding Throttles Scientific Integrity
What is the solution to this problem of scientific groupthink?
The Covid Road Not Taken: Protecting Individual Rights
Government should neither mandate nor ban vaccine passports or the other health decisions that individuals morally and rightfully should make for themselves.
Will Trumpism Survive Trump Leaving Office or Getting Impeached?
I fear the answer is “Yes” based on the faith of his followers.
The Economics, Politics and Morality of Fiat Money: An Interview with Pro-Capitalist Economist Raymond Niles
Professor Niles discusses the economic, political and moral aspects of the U.S. dollar, inflation, gold standard, fiat, money and legal tender laws.
Ayn Rand, Monopolies, and The “Fallacy of The Package Deal”
We can keep the term “monopoly,” but it should be reserved for describing those government-created and sanctioned dinosaurs like the US Postal Service.
President Donald Trump is a Classic Mercantilist
Trump is a classic mercantilist. A mercantilist favors exporters over importers and the use of government tariffs to promote (or “protect”) less efficient, but politically favored “national champion” companies against their foreign competitors.
Celebrate Entrepreneurs Like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Don’t Guillotine Them
The key to getting wealthy in a capitalistic society is to produce something so valuable that millions of people want to trade for it. This is the source of all great historical fortunes.
California’s Anti-Capitalism AB5 Law Shutdowns Uber, Lyft and The Gig Economy
The elephant in the room is that government interventions like California’s AB5 make Uber, Lyft and their drivers worse off because it imposes an outcome on them that they would not have voluntarily chosen.
TikTok, Trump and the Art of the Shakedown
The impending takedown of TikTok sets a dangerous precedent. It marks a serious diminution of the rule of law and a major step-up in the authoritarian use of power by our executive branch.
Individualism, Not Group Identity Politics, Is the Answer To America’s Crisis
We must judge ourselves and others by the content of our character, not by the color of our skin, our gender, socio-economic class, or any other group characteristic.
How Populism Turns a Constitutional Republic Into A Democracy
Populism is what happens when a republic becomes a democracy, and politicians must curry the favor of voters in order to win office.
Twitter is Private Property President Trump
Letting President Trump use the police power of the government to fight the Left is self-contradictory. “If the owners of a media platform do not get to decide who can appear on it, then who gets to make that decision?” Government force will not achieve freedom. It will only achieve tyranny.
Individual Freedom is the Answer to This COVID-19 Crisis
We must embrace individual freedom as the answer to this crisis. End the lockdowns, and end the collectivist approach to solving this crisis.
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