by Henry Oliner | Jul 25, 2015 | Economics
“In other words, to claim that society requires corporations to maximize profits is like saying that society encourages hockey players to commit common assault. There is an element of truth to it, insofar as society does encourage hockey players to run into one...
by Henry Oliner | Jul 8, 2015 | Economics
“I would hazard to say that anyone who considers himself a member of the left, or even a friend of humanity, finds it unacceptable that some people should be unable to afford food and shelter in a wealthy industrialized society. That much is not in question. There...
by Henry Oliner | Jun 30, 2015 | Economics
“By now it should be clear how all this relates to the “improvidence of the poor.” Unfortunately, talking about the self-defeating choices poor people so often make generates a lot of discomfort, because it is usually the first step of an argument that seeks to blame...
by Henry Oliner | Jun 25, 2015 | Economics, Uncategorized
“So what are we to make of this unexpected persistence of capitalism? John Kenneth Galbraith once observed, with respect to American capitalism, that “in principle the economy pleased no one; in practice it satisfied most.”2 Behind this observation is the familiar...