What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

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What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

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Jean Claude Escalante’s From Indentureship to Entrepreneurship is an extraordinary exploration of the Indo-Trinidadian community’s journey from humble indentured laborers to influential figures in the arenas of academia, commerce, and industry. Escalante skillfully dismantles common assumptions that attribute Indo-Trinidadian success solely to preferential colonial policies, instead presenting a nuanced analysis that emphasizes the community’s resilience, cultural values, and adaptability in overcoming significant social and economic obstacles.The Context of Indentureship and Early StrugglesEscalante begins by detailing the socio-historical context of Indian indentured labor in Trinidad, with the migration of approximately 143,939 Indians between 1845 and 1917.

The concept of the entrepreneurial state proposes that governments—like private enterprises—can take risks, innovate, and drive economic growth. Through direct intervention, governments can strategically invest in sectors that hold promise for the future, aiming to spark productivity and economic expansion. However, in countries like Jamaica, the limitations of the entrepreneurial state are evident, as interventions often face economic realities and public sentiment that clash with the expectations of the private sector. Jamaica’s challenges with state-owned enterprises, regulatory bodies, and education policy reveal that government-led initiatives can only rearrange and stifle, rather than stimulate, economic potential.One example of how Jamaica and regional

Kamala Harris’s 2024 bid for the White House was met with high expectations but ultimately resulted in a resounding defeat. Her campaign strategies, media approach, and messaging choices are seen as pivotal in alienating core constituencies while also failing to resonate with the broader American electorate. A major blunder was her campaign’s inability to connect with white men and key segments of her base, such as white women and Hispanic voters. Her focus on social issues, particularly trans rights and abortion, took precedence over concerns like illegal immigration and economic uncertainty. In doing so, her campaign minimized issues that many voters felt more acutely in their daily lives. This perceived disconnect eroded trust and contributed to the impression

Many media outlets emphasize discrimination as the leading barrier to women’s achievements, capturing widespread attention despite empirical evidence that suggests otherwise. Proposed solutions often include gender quotas, anti-discrimination laws, and other interventions aimed at addressing institutional sexism. Yet policy-makers remain puzzled by the underrepresentation of women in certain fields and the persistence of the alleged “gender pay gap.”This disconnect arises because public policy in many Western nations focuses on achieving equal outcomes without fully accounting for varying preferences. Professional and income differences between men and women are more closely aligned with average differences in interests than with systematic bias. For instance,

What is the Mises Institute?

The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard. Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.

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Renowned economist Mariana Mazzucato has garnered widespread acclaim for her work on the concept of the “entrepreneurial state,” where she argues that the state plays a critical role in driving innovation. Her essays and books emphasize the state’s capacity to spearhead groundbreaking advancements. However, while Mazzucato is skilled at extolling the virtues of government-led initiatives, her argument overlooks a crucial flaw—the state’s susceptibility to political incentives. Unlike market entrepreneurs, who are driven by the pursuit of profit, the state operates based on political motivations. As a result, government officials may continue supporting failing projects for the sake of national prestige rather than economic viability and serving the consumer.In the

The assimilation of degrowth ideas into the mainstream portends dire consequences for economic well-being. Degrowth is trumpeted as the solution to averting a climate catastrophe, but it will reverse the economic fortunes of practitioners. Sustained economic growth became the norm recently in history, and surely most people don’t want a return to a preindustrial era with episodic growth and lower living standards. The typical person today would be reluctant to trade the luxuries of economic growth for the trinkets that a less dynamic society affords.Despite the effusive praise for degrowth, it is difficult to take proponents seriously because they lack a frame of reference. Upper-class intellectuals in rich countries shouldn’t be recommending degrowth because they

The ongoing Israeli-Palestine conflict continues to captivate podcasters and listeners. So, Lex Friedman tapped into this interest by assembling a panel of experts to debate the issue. However, his decision to invite online personality Destiny as a commentator to defend Israel elicited criticisms, as Destiny is a college dropout who was parachuted to fame as a videogame streamer before becoming a political commentator.Since then, he has established a reputation for debating members of the populist right. Destiny applied his talents to build a lucrative brand as a political commentator and this is commendable. Although Destiny is not in the league of people like Thomas Sowell and Ilan Pappe, he is a successful political entrepreneur whose prosperity depends on

In the vast pantheon of history, black people have been both victims and oppressors. Yet history has been so politicized that we hear endlessly about the former and almost never about the latter. Rhetoric has eclipsed facts. It is a fact, for example, that Africans participated in the transatlantic slave trade. History is now frequently used as a cudgel to hammer white people into submission.Instead of recognizing nuance and complexity, many who should know better have embraced the simplistic narrative of activists. Mainstream publications like the Atlantic and the New York Times desperately want it to be true that blacks have only ever been victims of whites. Yet editorial sentimentalism cannot change the facts. A proper reading of history shatters the feel-good

Achieving food security is a priority of political parties regardless of ideology. Therefore, countries work assiduously to ensure that this project is accomplished. The proactive approach to tackling the issue is admirable, but in their pursuit of food security, some countries adopt counterproductive policies. The assumption that protectionism alleviates the risks of food security is still embraced by many policymakers when there is no correlation.Such muddled thinking stems from a misunderstanding of what food security entails. If the goal of food security is to satisfy the nutritional requirements of the population, then the source of food is immaterial. Realistically, small countries constrained by geographical limitations achieve food security by importing.

While South Africa’s political authorities pursue genocide accusations against other countries, those same leaders are destroying the nation’s economy and basic infrastructure. This is a failed state.
Original Article: The "New" South Africa Is Now a Newly-Failed State: Don’t Look for Things to Improve

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Political and economic elites predicted a doomsday scenario when Trump was elected in 2016, but the reality of his presidency didn’t come close to matching the apocalyptic rhetoric that accompanied it.
Original Article: Understanding the Trump Phenomenon: It’s Not What the Elites Think

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Recently, South Africa evoked opposition in some quarters by bringing a case against Israel to the International Court of Justice on the account that the latter is perpetuating genocide against Palestinians. Israel’s response to the terror of Hamas has been widely denounced by the mainstream press, but irrespective of the legitimacy of South Africa’s claims, this matter has brought South Africa to the forefront of public discourse, and as such, an examination of the country is necessary.
South Africa is a country mired in social and economic turmoil. After the collapse of the apartheid regime in 1994, many thought that the nation would embark on an era of sustained prosperity, but this ambition failed to materialize. Instead, the African National Congress became

Jamaica is a small island in the British West Indies, but despite its stature, this tiny nation has elicited the attention of global elites. In politics, Jamaica’s voting behavior at the United Nations is closely monitored by her neighbors in the Caribbean and the global community because she commands influence. Due to historical and cultural complexities, Jamaica is a magnet for academic research, and writing about the country has manifested into a cottage industry. Consistent with her fame, those who study Jamaica tend to be heavyweights in academia. Luminaries from Jeffrey Williamson to Josh Lerner pen intellectual missiles on Jamaica’s economy.
Always in the den of controversy, Jamaica’s recent economic performance has motivated a lively debate between

Jamaicans are willing to accept authoritarian behavior from the state in the name of rejecting colonialism.
Original Article: Authorities in Jamaica Endorse Cancel Culture

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With a large regional market and youthful population, Africa should be on the cusp of greatness. Yet instead, it remains the poorest continent on earth. Analysts are conceding that Africa’s outlook is gloomy because the region is on track to miss poverty reduction goals. Successive African administrations have consulted multiple strategies to tackle the scourge of poverty with varying degrees of success; however, the plague of poverty has been persistent.
Combatting poverty in Africa is indeed a daunting task since some countries have yet to overcome geographical and environmental limitations. For example, the ravaging effects of the tsetse fly on the food market amount to an annual loss of $5 billion. Achieving developmental targets becomes even more elusive when

Why is Israel a primary benefactor of United States foreign aid? Is Israel a proxy for US imperialism in the Middle East? Does American aid to Israel benefit constituencies other than the defense industry? The ongoing feud between Israel and Palestine has raised these questions to the forefront of public debate. Israel is the leading recipient of American foreign aid, despite its wealth. In 2022, The Economist ranked Israel as the fourth most successful economy in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
A prosperous country such as Israel should hardly be a contender for America’s benevolence; hence, America’s commitment to sponsoring Israel strikes people as odd. However, some observe that Israel plays a critical role in bolstering American

Haiti famously won its independence from France during a slave revolt, but being independent has not brought political stability or prosperity. Instead, Haitians struggle to get by in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country.

Original Article: Haiti May Have Won Independence, But It Is Not Independent of Chaos and Poverty

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Traveling was once a luxury for the rich, but today even working-class people enjoy vacations. In America, people have gotten so wealthy that planning summer vacations is a priority for many families. Living standards have improved so tremendously that elite amenities are now commonplace. Nearly 90 percent of American homes rely on air-conditioning, and 92 percent of households have access to at least one vehicle.
Relative to the globe, most Americans are high-income people. People who are considered poor in America would be rich in developing countries. Compared to other rich countries in Europe, America is also doing remarkably well. A 2019 study published by the think tank Just Facts shows that after accounting for all income, philanthropy, and noncash welfare

People migrate for many reasons, including moving to a better economy and escaping political persecution. But one thing is certain: people are going to vote with their feet.

Original Article: "Voting with Their Feet: The Lure of Migration"

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Adults tell young people to follow their dreams, but one cannot follow one’s vision without realizing what it takes to get there.

Original Article: "Want to Follow Your Dreams? The First Step Involves Hard Work"

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Like many colonial ventures, Belgium’s involvement in the Congo had some successes—and many failures.

Original Article: "Belgian Colonialism of the Congo: Facts and Fiction"

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Depending on one’s perspective, technology can be viewed as either an opportunity or a threat. Some people celebrate technical advances while others show disdain. Entrepreneurs are frequently eager to capitalize on the potential advantages of new technologies, but where entrepreneurs see room for dynamism, naysayers see doom. In this story, entrepreneurs are akin to wizards who use the magic of technology to improve the world, and naysayers are prophets of pessimism.
In his insightful book The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World, Charles Mann illustrates the conflicts between wizards and prophets, who both advocate different approaches to solving problems. Wizards trust in the liberating power of

Stories cannot substitute for historical facts even when people want these stories to be true. With the influence of Black Lives Matter, resurrecting the atrocities of Western colonialism has become fashionable. The death of George Floyd revived a torrent of anticolonialism sentiment in Western societies fueled by resounding demands for governments to atone for the sins of colonialism. Although the colonial legacy of Western powers is tainted by dastardly acts, exaggerations of violence must be condemned. Using history as a political tool only pollutes public discourse in the long run.
Listening to activists is quite different from reading an academic study. Mainstream outlets will inform readers that Europeans committed atrocities in Africa and the West Indies,

While many believe that technology is key to a growing economy, technology is useless without entrepreneurship, which develops uses for technology.

Original Article: "Technology Is Meaningless without Entrepreneurship"

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Onlookers often cannot fathom why Barbados and Jamaica have delivered such divergent outcomes despite their similar history as former colonies of England. Both countries achieved independence in the 1960s and inherited British law and institutions. Yet Barbados eclipsed her peers to become the pride of the developing world, whereas Jamaica recorded years of anemic growth and institutional degradation. However, digging deeper into history reveals that Barbados pursued different political economy paths from Jamaica.
Unlike Jamaica, Barbados was a settlers’ colony where planters were devoted to institution building rather than living off profits in England. Bajan planters thought that they represented the best of the West Indies. As gentlemen planters, elites aspired

The current regime wants to use taxation not simply as a means to collect revenue for the government, but as a weapon against economic prosperity itself.

Original Article: "Taxation as a Weapon against Prosperity"

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Individualism, while condemned in some cultures, has helped make this country economically successful. Will the influx of immigrants from cultures that devalue individualism reverse that success?

Original Article: "Individualism in the US Has Helped Make It an Economic Success"

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