The so-called “sharing economy” is sometimes also called the “gig economy” — arguably a more accurate term, because “sharing economy” carries overtones of cooperation and mutuality that are (to say the least) grossly misleading. In the case of ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft it’s misleading because it suggests the direct sharing of rides between…

Scrivendo tempo fa su Alternet, Richard Eskow (“Rise of the techno-Libertarians,” 12 aprile 2015) ha fatto un’eccellente critica del modello capitalista dei “tecno-libertari” della Silicon Valley. Gran parte degli argomenti riguarda in qualche modo il modello mirato al profitto dell’industria tecnologica, che tratta i prodotti principalmente come fonte di guadagno (o, meglio, rendita) piuttosto che…

In an article at Alternet a while back Richard Eskow (“Rise of the techno-Libertarians,” April 12, 2015) made some excellent criticisms of the capitalist model of “techno-libertarianism” centered on Silicon Valley. Most of his points relate in some way to the profit-driven business model of the tech industry, which treats products primarily as a source…

A think piece by Walter Frick at Harvard Business Review (“Understanding the Debate Over Inequality, Skills, and the Rise of the 1%,” Dec. 21) draws a line in the inequality debate between those (mostly CEOs and other corporate apologists) who see it as resulting from a mismatch between the supply and demand for certain skills,…

Seemingly John Stossel never sits down to write without the goal of further lowering the bar for qualifying as a libertarian. This time (“My Trump Problem,” Reason, Nov. 11), he’s managed to push the criterion to the all-time low of being somewhat less statist than Donald Trump. Stossel’s first problem with Trump allegedly centers on…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Kevin Carson‘s “Reason’s Misplaced Condescension” read by Mike Godzina and edited by Tony Dreher. The Pope, Slade writes, “condemns the market-driven economic development that has lifted a billion people out of extreme poverty within the lifetime of the typical millennial.” As evidence of his “lack of understanding of even basic economic…

A common negative stereotype of the conventional “pot-smoking Republican” variety of libertarian is their condescending dismissal of anyone who disagrees with them as “not understanding economics.” Such people are so fond of firing off this rhetorical weapon that they often use it in situations where it’s far more applicable to themselves. Reason‘s recent commentary on…

Imagine the following person. He believes all individuals should be free to do anything that’s peaceful and therefore favors private property, free global markets, freedom of contract, civil liberties, and all the related ideas that come under the label libertarianism (or liberalism). Obviously he is not a statist. But is he an individualist and a…

It’s hardly news that Charles and David Koch are longtime supporters of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). For example, Institute for Humane Studies “Koch fellows” are heavily represented in staff jobs at ALEC, and frequently go on to head the task forces that draft model legislation. The Kochs stated some time ago their preference…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Kevin Carson‘s “IP Czar Admits Hamiltonian Nature of ‘Intellectual Property’” read by Mike Godzina and edited by Nick Ford. Genuine productivity and progress destroys GDP. In a free economy, here’s how it should work: Profit is self-liquidating, and increased efficiency of producing things with less labor and capital — or even…

At the Washington Post, Max Ehrenfreund argues (“Hillary Clinton’s top goal as president could be effectively impossible to achieve,” July 20) that Hillary Clinton may be hampered in her stated goal of raising middle class incomes and reducing economic inequality by factors beyond her control. These factors include forces such as “technological automation and globalization,”…

Understanding history as best we can is important for obvious reasons. It’s particularly important for libertarians who want to persuade people to the freedom philosophy. In making their case for individual freedom, mutual aid, social cooperation, foreign nonintervention, and peace, libertarians commonly place great weight on historical examples most often drawn from the early United…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Cory Massimino‘s “AEI’s Perry Ignores the Unseen” read by James Tuttle and edited by Nick Ford. Perry does have a point where federal income taxes are concerned. “After transfer payments, households in the bottom 60% are ‘net recipients’ with negative income tax rates, while only the top two ‘net payer’ income quintiles had positive…

Dilma Rousseff, durante la campagna elettorale per la presidenza del Brasile, accusò la rivale Marina Silva di voler “svendere ai banchieri” il controllo dell’economia brasiliana. Perché il bluff elettorale funzionasse, gli elettori avrebbero dovuto credere che i banchieri oggi non possono dettare le linee guida della politica economica nazionale. Non ci crede neanche Dilma: Appena…

Dilma Rousseff, in her bid for re-election to the presidency of Brazil, stated that opponent Marina Silva intended to “give away to the bankers” control of the Brazilian economy. Dilma’s electoral bluff assumed that voters would believe that bankers are nowadays unable to dictate the path the national economy should take. Not even Dilma believes this…

Nel suo classico Quel che si Vede e quel che non si Vede, Frédéric Bastiat osserva: “Tra un cattivo economista e un buon economista c’è una sola differenza: Il cattivo economista considera unicamente gli effetti visibili; il buon economista prende in considerazione sia gli effetti visibili che quelli che andrebbero previsti.” Mark J. Perry, dell’American…

In his classic essay, What is Seen and What is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat remarks, “There is only one difference between a bad economist and a good one: The bad economist confines himself to the visible effect; the good economist takes into account both the effect that can be seen and those effects that must be foreseen.” The American…

C4SS Feed 44 presents Erick Vasconcelos‘ “Elections and the Technocratic Ideology” read by Christopher King and edited by Nick Ford. It’s not about being governed or not, it’s about who is going to do the governing. Who would we want to sit on the Iron Throne if not a “specialist?” Someone who wouldn’t be driven by politico-ideological…

Chi vota per politici come il candidato alla presidenza brasiliana Aecio Neves, così come molti dei simpatizzanti del suo partito (Partito Socialdemocratico Brasiliano, Psdb), spesso va in confusione quando scopre che idee come “efficienza” nel settore pubblico, “cura choc”, e “professionalità” di governo non attirano larghe fette della popolazione. Si tratta di un’idea moderatamente diffusa,…

In July 2014, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s Facebook page celebrated the record production of iron ore by Vale. According to the page, the mining company “broke a record for iron ore production in the second quarter,” representing a “12.6% increase compared to the same time frame in 2013.” Several pages quickly pointed out Rousseff’s “mistake,”…