Peter's Blog

Data Needs Theory to Make Sense

Most analysts treat economic data as the starting point for understanding the economy: if GDP rises, things are good; if it falls, things are bad. What they fail to appreciate is that data without theory is meaningless, and that any interpretation of economic data already presupposes a theoretical framework, whether the analyst knows it or […]

Why Capitalism’s Real Alternatives Are Worse

As Trump’s crony capitalism and socialist inroads in the Democratic Party crowd out defenders of free markets, many assume the only choice is between capitalism and socialism. But a third danger lurks — the possibility that rejecting both leads not to liberty, but to feudalism or primitivism, systems where rights collapse and poverty reigns just […]

AI Can Calculate Data – Not an Economy

A century ago, Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises tangled with socialists in the so-called Socialist Calculation Debate, in which Mises proved that socialism is not feasible. Today, with the power of modern computing and AI, socialists are again championing centralized control of the economy, but they misunderstand Mises’ core point: economic calculation and raw computation […]

Why Governments Don’t Determine Money’s Value

With inflation still running hot and disastrous jobs data coming in, it’s tempting for policymakers to spread myths about the economy, particularly around the origin and nature of money. As the Austrian school demonstrates, fiat money– and all money for that matter– does not derive its value from dictates of the government. The following article […]

Trade Deficits Aren’t the Problem – Unsound Money Is

Last week, the Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s unconstitutional and economically destructive tariffs. But, as the White House seeks to impose new trade restrictions through other avenues, it’s worth reexamining why trade policy and inflationary monetary policy typically go hand-in-hand. The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed […]

Why Boom-Bust Cycles Validate Austrian Theory

One criticism of the Austrian School’s theory of recessions is that it doesn’t account for the expectations of entrepreneurs, who can anticipate central bank actions which precipitate economic busts. But, as Austrian economist Joe Salerno argues, this criticism betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of how recessions occur. The following article was originally published by the Mises […]

Menger vs. Chartalism: What Evidence Should Money Theories Require

How does money come about? Did someone invent it, or did it spontaneously emerge as a medium of exchange? The Austrian School of economics gets this question right, and the evidence is on its side. The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Peter […]

Why “Public” Education Can Never Be Neutral

The state of the American economy testifies to the dangers of central planning in monetary and fiscal policy. Yet, many overlook the exact same dangers in education, where state provision of educational services produces equally disastrous results. The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those […]

Inflation and the Moral Decay of Civilization

With consumer sentiment abysmally low, it’s tempting to think of inflation as an exclusively economic phenomenon. When its nature as society-wide fraud is understood, however, it’s easy to see why inflation corrodes both cultural and economic institutions. The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those […]

Why Socialism Inevitably Ends in Totalitarian Tyranny

Socialists and other interventionists seek an economic system free from what they call “exploitation” and private property. But in reality, socialism inevitably leads to the forceful and violent expropriation of private property for the benefit of socialist planners. The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect […]