On Friday afternoons, we bring you the best of our blog and the best of the web. This week’s round-up includes a new video on cronyism, book recommendations, and a podcast and video that you shouldn’t miss.
1. In case you missed it, this new video from Economic Freedom is a great summary of the causes and solutions of cronyism.
2. Tim Høiland wrote a great review of the book “Toxic Charity,” posted here.
Toxic Charity (TC) is vintage Lupton and not a mere When Helping Hurts (WHH) spinoff (as the subtitle may understandably lead some to believe), but the two do have a great deal of similarities. And while I’m a big fan of WHH, this new one might become what I start recommending as the preferred introduction to the common pitfalls of ministry to the poor, as well as some of the best practices. Comparing my fresh impressions of TC with my admittedly less-than-fresh recollections of WHH, here’s why I’m leaning towards making TC my go-to recommendation (if I had to choose just one, something I’d prefer not to have to do)….
3. This video from Reason highlights a a case study of stimulus spending in a Washington, D.C. suburb, Silver Spring, Md. It’s worth your time.
4. Isaac Morehouse of the Institute for Humane Studies listed his five favorite books on economics.
[…] some readers may have noticed that my economic reading list includes nothing of what people call economics today. Between the five books above I don’t believe there is a single chart or graph. There is no talk of determining someone’s utility function, no calculus, and none of the stuff that most people associate with the discipline. That is because I think most of that stuff is bogus and has nothing to do with understanding how the economy works….
5. RJ Moeller interviewed AEI’s Phil Levy and entrepreneur Seth Cassel in the latest podcast. During the course of the interview, Dr. Levy answered questions on everything from trade deficits with China to Michigan Wolverine football. It’s worth the listen!
