Considerable policy and academic attention has been focused on the topic of food deserts. We consider this topic from an economic perspective. First, we consider how the components of a standard economic analysis apply to the study of food deserts. Second, using this economic lens, we revisit the empirical literature on food deserts to assess the…

Billions of dollars are lost each year in our balance of payments because U.S. multinationals have not entered foreign markets due to trade restrictions and restrictions on the remittance of profits and royalties. Formal and informal government obstructions to free trade are examined. (RM)

This paper views seeking the optimal balance between state strengths and the scope of state functions for "good governance" as the formation of a homogenization-heterogenization matrix of policy initiatives in different social settings. Homogenization refers to a global tendency for institutional changes and governance framework to…

In this article, the author talks about the disaster in the United States that reignited a debate about poverty and the responsibility of government--and government schools--that had never really gone away in the first place. Hurricane Katrina was one of the biggest natural disasters in the U.S. that swept through four states, killed more than…

This document is a transcript of a seminar that explored the long-term causes and consequences of the decline in wages, incomes, and living standards experienced in the United States in the last 12 years. It was published in order to encourage wider public discussion of the causes of U.S. economic problems so that citizens, the press, and public…

Examines the political and economic reasons for government support of small businesses in the United Kingdom. The impact of current government measures to encourage existing and aspiring entrepreneurs is examined. (AM)

Reviews various aspects of the sale of state-owned assets to the private sector. Lists assets sold and those still awaiting sale. Reviews who benefits from this policy, and provides discussion questions and follow up work for secondary students. (Author/JDH)

Exchange controls in Great Britain were abolished in 1979. Since then, there has been a significant outflow of capital. This article examines the case for the reintroduction of controls with particular reference to the effect this might have on investment. (Author/JDH)

Reviews classical economists' views on the issue of public debt. Notes that from antiquity to modern times, it has always been rare for a state not to be in debt. Includes an examination of a state's repudiation of its debt and the impact such an action might have on its international relations. (JDH)

Public policy and the unrelenting web of government intervention has adversely affected the U.S. industrial competition position over the last 25 years. This trend and how it can be reversed are examined. (RM)

Nineteenth century Canadian business history reveals intricate connections and barriers among government and business institutions. The nineteenth century spheres of government, politics, and business were not separate; it was natural that businesspersons and politicians should have many connections. (Author/KC)

Discussed is the new conservatism that is reflected in American economic circles today. Economists and organizations that are responsible for this new vitality in procapitalist economics are highlighted, including Arthur Laffer, Milton Friedman, William Allen, and Frederich Hayek. (JMD)

In this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, it is proposed that speculation is often misunderstood, particularly in the operation of the futures markets. These are markets in which obligations to consummate sales and purchases at some time in the future are traded at a…

The history of government intervention in Canada's economy from the nineteenth century through the Depression and the two world wars can be divided into two periods. Approaches to analysis of business-government relations focus on cultural and ideological origins of interventionist policies or emphasize structural and political factors. (KC)

Privatization is one way the Reagan Administration is restructuring the welfare state. Intervention in the economy was historically conceived to modify the market in behalf of social justice. In contrast, privatization channels public dollars into private hands, strengthens the two-class welfare state, and reproduces the inequalities of the free…