
In economics, we talk a lot about unintended consequences. It’s easy to forget that societies are complex ecosystems. Legislators often pass sweeping changes hoping to achieve one result, not realizing it will create countless other consequences not intended. Some of the unintended consequences will be positive, but many of them will not be. A case
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Leaving our Airbnb rental in Maine a few weeks ago, I chatted with the owner, whom I’ll call Fred. Me: “I hope when we see you next year, the world is in a better place.” Fred: “I’m looking forward to better leadership.” Me: “I’m afraid you will be sadly disappointed.” Fred: “Well, I know who
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Many children are hitting the books again for another school year in a way they never have before. Still in a COVID coma, many schools have opted for a distance learning model, or a hybrid model combining in-person and distance instruction. Yet even as we begin the new school year, reports are still emerging of
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As of early August, 34 US states mandate the use of masks in public to limit the spread of COVID-19. The efficacy of face masks has been a subject of debate in the health community during the pandemic. Because health experts disagree on their effectiveness, countries and health agencies around the world, including the World
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Earlier this year the coronavirus pandemic caught Bernard-Henri Lévy, France’s rock-star public intellectual, overseas. He had been reporting on the plight of Lesbos, the Aegean island crowded with refugees from Syria, and then of Bangladesh, which was attempting to cope not only with COVID-19 but also Islamic extremism, hundreds of thousands of Royhingya refugees, climate
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Over the past decade, Cuba’s private sector has experienced slow-but-steady growth thanks to a mix of entrepreneurial grit and incremental policy changes. Although the Communist government continues to waffle on the scope and duration of various restrictions, the number of self-employed Cubans has risen from 150,000 to 600,000 since 2010 – that is, until the
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