Bohanon & Curott: Here’s why price ceilings are self-defeating
Price ceilings are self-defeating because they short-circuit the very process that mitigates the initial supply disruption.
Cecil Bohanon / Special to IBJ
Articles
Cecil Bohanon & Nick Curott: The optimist’s and pessimist’s view of our pesky inflation situation
Businesses are always greedy. Sometimes, greed causes businesses to lower prices; other times, to raise prices.
Bohanon & Curott: American’s billionaires are neither Scrooge nor Santa Claus
The primary way billionaires contribute to our well-being is not through their charity or beneficence. Rather, it is by the innovations they typically introduce.
Bohanon & Curott: Biden’s reappointment of Powell is right move
We are very pleased that President Biden plans to reappoint Jerome Powell as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. With all the economic uncertainty from the COVID omicron variant, rising inflation, supply-chain struggles and fiscal imbalances, this is not the time to rock the boat at the Fed with a new and untried leader.
Bohanon & Curott: Change the incentives and you change the outcome
When you reduce criminal penalties and stop prosecuting thugs, don’t be surprised when crime soars.
Bohanon & Curott: Give thanks to Pilgrims for private-property rights
Plymouth Plantation, home of the Pilgrims of Thanksgiving fame, was founded in 1620 under a system of communal property rights. But that system didn’t last long.
Bohanon & Curott: Dual-family income to single income is not ‘bad’ outcome
The economic principle of revealed preference comes into play: what people do reveals their preferences. In the family’s own estimation, they are better off!
Bohanon & Curott: Let’s hope unrealized capital gains tax is never reality
We’re sure the progressives will assure us they are only proposing going after billionaires and other fat cats who are able to pay.
Cecil Bohanon & Nick Curott: Strong labor market gives workers chance to skill up
Another benefit of a robust labor market is that it gives employees, even those with few skills, the luxury of moving from one job to another, picking up new skills along the way and likely enhancing their lifetime productivity.
Cecil Bohanon & Nick Curott: Consumer reactions add fuel to rising prices
It’s been some 40 years since the United States has experienced significant inflation. However, the phenomenon of an accelerated rise in the general price level is rearing its ugly head.
Cecil Bohanon & Nick Curott: ‘Stagflation’ isn’t inevitable
Conditions today are ripe for another stagflation episode.
Bohanon & Curott: Water system works because users contribute to cost
Many well-meaning American donor organizations have organized and financed community water projects in poorer nations. Too often these efforts have failed.
Bohanon & Curott: Human imagination is best bet for consumers
Before we get too cocky, we’ll be the first to admit that some of our predictions haven’t quite worked out.
Bohanon & Curott: Let Haitian refugees ‘have a go’ at living in U.S.
First, let’s all stop vilifying one another. Progressives are not barbarians, conservatives are not oppressors, and classical liberals are not anarchists.
Economic Analysis: Solving the national debt crisis: If not now, when? If not us, who?
When bond repayments come due, taxpayers in the future must reduce their consumption.
Bohanon & Curott: Masks are a good tool, not a silver bullet
In the villages with the mask campaigns, 43% of adults wore masks in public venues and 29% socially distanced, whereas only 13% wore masks and 24% socially distanced in villages that had no campaigns.
Bohanon & Curott: As life expectancy increases, social security must be reformed
In 1940, deaths among those 65 years old and older were 9,719 per 100,000; by 2019, they had dropped to 4,753 per 100,000, a decline of over 50%.
Bohanon and Curott: Looking for signs of inflation? Check the sizes of the goods you buy
Fast forward to 2021 and we suspect most of our readers have noted the shrinking sizes of goods, which has become particularly conspicuous at the grocery store over the last few months.
Bohanon and Curott: A failure in the basic economics of governing
A bit of background: Afghanistan is a tribal society dominated by tribal leaders and subject to tribal conflicts. This makes establishing an effective national government difficult.
Bohanon & Curott: The ongoing eviction pause not good for renters or landlords
Most obviously, the eviction moratorium protects the housing security of millions of Americans who lost their incomes during the pandemic through no fault of their own. However, by distorting the incentives for tenants and landlords, the moratorium also creates some unintended and undesirable consequences.