Curt Doolittle

Category: Economics, Finance, and Political Economy

  • FYI: Ukraine’s GDP in 2013 – $182 bln, in 2015 projected at $68 bln

    FYI:

    Ukraine’s GDP in 2013 – $182 bln, in 2015 projected at $68 bln.

    Source date (UTC): 2015-03-03 03:37:00 UTC

  • “Yatsenyuk boasted that Ukraine has decreased its dependence from Russian gas an

    “Yatsenyuk boasted that Ukraine has decreased its dependence from Russian gas and increased gas imports from the European Union – from five percent in 2013 to 67 percent or more than five billion of cubic meters, according to estimates in 2014.

    The state aparatus was cut by 25,000 workers in 2014 and will be cut by 50,000 in 2015, Yatsenyuk said. Some 26 regulatory bodies were liquidated out of 52 that existed before, he said and the number of taxes cut from 22 to 11.

    “These reforms are not effective for the government I lead for one reason – the (results) require time. Next government and next prime minister will win from these reforms,” he said. “After my tenure the chances to keep my political ranking (high) are very, very low. But this is my choice and I realize the consequences.”

    Source date (UTC): 2015-03-01 15:09:00 UTC

  • When we attempt to promote Austrian Economics, we could, if we were intelligent,

    When we attempt to promote Austrian Economics, we could, if we were intelligent, state that our interests are merely in developing institutions that facilitate voluntary exchanges, rather than mainstream economics, which attempts to maximize involuntary transfers.

    In other words, we practice moral economics, and mainstream practices immoral economics.

    It does no good whatsoever for advocates of Austrian Econ to make the false claims, or that mainstream does not practice our definition of ‘economics’, nor that their work is unscientific, nor that ours is somehow scientific even though it does not adhere to the warranties of scientific claims. All of these statements are mere verbalisms — they’re deceitful at worst, and merely ignorant at best.

    Source date (UTC): 2015-02-27 06:15:00 UTC

  • Austrian Economics Studies Facilitating Voluntary Exchanges Rather than Forced Transfers

    [W]hen we attempt to promote Austrian Economics, we could, if we were intelligent, state that our interests are merely in developing institutions that facilitate voluntary exchanges, rather than mainstream economics, which attempts to maximize involuntary transfers.

    In other words, we practice moral economics, and mainstream practices immoral economics.

    It does no good whatsoever for advocates of Austrian Econ to make the false claims, or that mainstream does not practice our definition of ‘economics’, nor that their work is unscientific, nor that ours is somehow scientific even though it does not adhere to the warranties of scientific claims. All of these statements are mere verbalisms — they’re deceitful at worst, and merely ignorant at best.

    Mises uses the word science repeatedly, yet offers purely rational (apriori) arguments. (He does not understand the difference between empirical science (observable external correspondence) and rationalism (internal consistency), and he was apparently unaware of operationalism (existential possibility free of imaginary content). Too bad. He was close.

    We can make empirical statements about all sorts of economic phenomenon. And we cannot observe many economic phenomenon other than empirically. We can explain them operationally, but we cannot observe them or even identify them without empirical analysis.

    The only way to warranty that we speak truthfully is to speak scientifically. And to speak scientifically requires that we speak operationally.

  • Austrian Economics Studies Facilitating Voluntary Exchanges Rather than Forced Transfers

    [W]hen we attempt to promote Austrian Economics, we could, if we were intelligent, state that our interests are merely in developing institutions that facilitate voluntary exchanges, rather than mainstream economics, which attempts to maximize involuntary transfers.

    In other words, we practice moral economics, and mainstream practices immoral economics.

    It does no good whatsoever for advocates of Austrian Econ to make the false claims, or that mainstream does not practice our definition of ‘economics’, nor that their work is unscientific, nor that ours is somehow scientific even though it does not adhere to the warranties of scientific claims. All of these statements are mere verbalisms — they’re deceitful at worst, and merely ignorant at best.

    Mises uses the word science repeatedly, yet offers purely rational (apriori) arguments. (He does not understand the difference between empirical science (observable external correspondence) and rationalism (internal consistency), and he was apparently unaware of operationalism (existential possibility free of imaginary content). Too bad. He was close.

    We can make empirical statements about all sorts of economic phenomenon. And we cannot observe many economic phenomenon other than empirically. We can explain them operationally, but we cannot observe them or even identify them without empirical analysis.

    The only way to warranty that we speak truthfully is to speak scientifically. And to speak scientifically requires that we speak operationally.

  • Sure, university education should be open to all, and ‘free’ in the sense, that

    Sure, university education should be open to all, and ‘free’ in the sense, that one pays for it entirely from payroll deductions for the rest of one’s working life.

    Were this the case, the curriculum at universities would change radically.

    At present, we pay for knowingly defective goods, that are unwarrantied, and the state prevents us recourse.

    So my solution to the Cathedral is quite simple: eliminate student loans entirely, and require all universities to pay out of payroll deductions. The treasury can provide the interim float – after all: that’s what Keyensians say we can do with money….

    Source date (UTC): 2015-02-22 10:47:00 UTC

  • My answer to How does a country get a good balance between socialism and capital

    My answer to How does a country get a good balance between socialism and capitalism? http://qr.ae/EsoYr

    Source date (UTC): 2015-02-21 14:49:58 UTC

    Original post: https://twitter.com/i/web/status/569147019505360896

  • Untitled

    http://www.quora.com/How-does-a-country-get-a-good-balance-between-socialism-and-capitalism/answer/Curt-Doolittle?share=1

    Source date (UTC): 2015-02-21 09:50:00 UTC

  • ERIC FIELD GETS IT RIGHT – ORGANIZERS OF PRODUCTION IN THE DIVISION OF INTERTEMP

    ERIC FIELD GETS IT RIGHT – ORGANIZERS OF PRODUCTION IN THE DIVISION OF INTERTEMPORAL KNOWLEDGE AND LABOR

    Source date (UTC): 2015-02-21 07:37:00 UTC

  • How Does A Country Get A Good Balance Between Socialism And Capitalism?

    I’ll back up TJ Claridge’s post and say that you’re misusing the terms.

    I think you mean to say, how much interference in the economy by the government produces a Pareto Optimum? 

    We call this a mixed economy.  That is, a capitalist economy (which is the only economy possible long term), with social democratic redistribution via taxation.   Under social democracy, property is owned by individuals, but proceeds are forcibly taken from those people for redistributive purposes. Social democracy is not socialism, since property is not owned by the state, and production is not organized by the state. (It cannot be, that’s why it isn’t). 

    In practice nearly all governments today practice social democracy.  The difference is only in the level of corruption involved. Even very good people in the world (Hindus) have a tragically corrupt country.

    Greece for example has both high corruption (bureaucratic) and high avoidance (personal).  America has very sophisticated corruption (systemic), very little interpersonal bureaucratic corruption other than systemic corruption, and very little personal avoidance.

    https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-country-get-a-good-balance-between-socialism-and-capitalism