Archive for John T. Wenders

The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics

As this is being written, the television talking heads are imploring us “not to walk away” from Afghanistan and to “invest” billions there instead. Before buying into that idea, everyone should read this book by a former World Bank economist whose forthrightness has evidently cost him his job. Early on, Easterly makes the following observation [...]

16Mar2003 | | 0 comments | Continued

How Much Do the Public Schools Waste?

Governments in the United States currently spend about 4 percent of gross domestic product on “public” schools.1 Those schools also employ about 4 percent of the nation’s workforce. Although few will admit it, public education is clearly an anachronistic, socialist institution, with all of the characteristics of a typical Soviet enterprise. As such, one would [...]

1Jan2003 | | 2 comments | Continued

Chairs, Hamburgers, and Persons

Suppose you owned a furniture store, and someone asked you what you sold. You would probably say “furniture.” Likewise, if someone invited you to lunch, you would go to a restaurant for something to eat. The use of such words as “furniture” and “lunch” is common, and these words serve a useful purpose in communicating. [...]

1Jul2002 | | 1 comment | Continued

Statistics: A Vehicle for Collectivist Mischief

John Wenders is professor of economics at the University of Idaho. Sir John Cowperthwaite served in Britain’s administration of Hong Kong for over 25 years. From 1961 to 1971 he was Hong Kong’s financial secretary, a position that gave him vast power over that colony’s economic affairs. It was under his guidance that the theory [...]

1Jun1998 | | 0 comments | Continued

Campaign Finance: The Symptom, Not the Problem

For decades politicians and pundits have been wringing their collective hands over massive political campaign contributions and spending. Almost daily there are revelations of campaign law violations and even suggestions of bribery. Pundits lament that many “good” people avoid political life because of the need to raise sufficient money to campaign effectively. Everyone agrees, in [...]

1Feb1998 | | 1 comment | Continued

Democracy Would Doom Hong Kong

John Wenders teaches economics at the University of Idaho. There is an important lesson to be learned from the Hong Kong economic miracle, the destiny of which is now in the hands of China. Too bad most commentators have missed it completely. The lesson is simple. This small patch of rocky land, devastated by war [...]

1Jan1998 | | 0 comments | Continued

Decorating the Wilderness

When not hunting, John T. Wenders is Professor of Economics at the University of ldaho. Afew years ago, on the last weekend of elk season, Ashley Lyman and I were trailering our horses up a snow-covered Forest Service road out of Elk City, Idaho. As we climbed across a steep clear-cut, the truck spun to [...]

1Sep1991 | | 0 comments | Continued

Freedom and Democracy Are Different

John T. Wenders is Professor of Economics at the’ University of Idaho. The earthshaking events of the past few months in Eastern Europe have generated surprise, shock, hope, and applause throughout the world. The most important consequence of these events, however, is not the demise of authoritarian socialist governments, but the impetus given to an [...]

1Aug1990 | | 6 comments | Continued

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