Peter Jacobsen

Breaking down MMT’s Guaranteed Jobs Scheme for Fighting Inflation

For “Ask an Economist” this week, I have a question from John O. about Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). I’ve purposefully…

2 months ago

Why Not Deflation?

This week for Ask an Economist, I have a question from Wilson. Wilson rightly notes the Federal Reserve targets an…

2 months ago

Interest on the National Debt—Who Does It Go To?

This week, to start off “Ask an Economist” for the year, I have a question from Stan K. about the…

3 months ago

The Mouse Is Free: Steamboat Willie and Intellectual Property

You’ve likely already seen him freely used across the Internet over the last two days. As of 2024, Steamboat Willie,…

4 months ago

Why a New IRS Change Will Push Some Entrepreneurs into Corporate Desk Jobs

As the end of the year approaches, the IRS has announced its new late repayment penalty rate. The rate has…

5 months ago

Why I Don’t Think the Population Will Collapse in the Long Run

The irrational pandemonium of the 20th century was the fear of a population explosion. Estimates from scientists such as Paul…

5 months ago

China Reverses Course on Population Planning

The 20th century was full of attempts to centrally plan population. Scientists like Paul Ehrlich and businessmen like Hugh Moore…

6 months ago

The Problem with “Paycheck-to-Paycheck” Metrics

If you follow financial news, a headline you’ll often see is that a large number of people are living “paycheck-to-paycheck.”…

6 months ago

Why I’m Pessimistic about the Selection of the Speaker of the House

Update: After this story was written, Mike Johnson was selected as the Speaker of the House. My hope is he…

6 months ago

The Incandescent Ban and the Lie of LED Efficiency

It happened as I went to grab a new package of baby wipes from under the sink. I flipped on…

7 months ago

A Nobel for a Student of Civilization

The 2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (colloquially referred to as the Nobel Prize…

7 months ago

Biden Admin Attacks Amazon

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the permanent government bureaucracy responsible for enforcing antitrust laws in the United States. Accordingly,…

7 months ago

The Problem with a Chicago Municipal Grocery Store

Chicago's new mayor, Brandon Johnson, is experimenting with a surprising new city policy— government-run grocery stores. The policy idea was…

8 months ago

New Lithium Discovery Highlights Why We Never Run Out of Resources

A new discovery of lithium this last week led to a flurry of headlines touting the finding as one of…

8 months ago

Economics in the Bible

This week for Ask an Economist I received a question from Steve R. It's a question of Biblical proportions! He…

8 months ago