Education and Science

The mRNA Vaccine Makers Got Rich—But Not at the Taxpayers’ Expense

According to one criticism, Moderna and Biontech, the two manufacturers of the mRNA vaccines against Covid-19, have enriched themselves from government subsidies. This is wrong. Without the perseverance of individual researchers and billions in private money, the vaccines would not exist.

The Green (Self-)Deception: Neither Progressive nor Socially Minded

The Greens in Germany are masters at absolving themselves of responsibility for stagnation and failure to modernize. Yet it is primarily they who are responsible for this. They are neither socially minded nor progressive.

Freedom to Choose: A Cure for Illiberal Education

Attempting neutrality in public education ends up creating a systemic preference for a particular ethical standpoint. This creates a tension between public schools and the principle of liberal neutrality. This tension can be resolved without abandoning government-financed education through policies that are both popular and effective.

European Infrastructure and Tech Policy: Failures, Breakdowns, and Empty Promises

Compared to the USA, Europe is lagging behind in terms of information and communications infrastructure. A reexamination reveals: For too long, billions of taxpayers’ money have been invested in technologies of the past.

No More Growth—And Happiness Is Just Around The Corner

Critics of growth call for zero growth or even “degrowth”. Their fears are based on economic misconceptions and a failure to recognize the capitalist dynamic of decoupling growth from resource consumption. Moreover, they fail to recognize the needs of poor countries.

The U.S. in Decadence? The Warning Signs Cannot Be Overlooked

The United States today exhibits characteristics of decadence that historians have considered instrumental in the decline or loss of power of earlier empires. A brief analysis.

The Entrepreneurial State Stifles Creativity and Hinders Innovation

Today, people trust the state to lead us into a sustainable future. All it has to do is steer innovation in the right direction, many say. But where the planning state intervenes, creativity suffers.

Globalization: From a Christian Perspective, The Worldwide Driver of Innovation and Mass Prosperity

Globalisation is being attacked – from the left as well as from the right. But it is indispensable for overcoming poverty, as Philip Booth showed at the Austrian Academy 2020.

F.A. Hayek on the Discovery, Use, and Transmission of Knowledge

This September marked the 75th anniversary of F.A. Hayek’s pivotal essay “The Use of Knowledge in Society.” It is not only a noteworthy advance in Hayek’s critique of central planning. Hayek’s insights about competition as a ‘discovery procedure’ also provides conceptual tools for other forms of institutional analysis.

Defend Globalization!

For critics of globalization, the matter is clear: it is the main culprit of the Coronavirus epidemic. On the contrary, globalization is particularly helpful in this context, among other things because it reduces regional dependencies.

How the French state eats up the well-being of its people

The billions spent by the European Central Bank are not going to save the labor markets of Italy and France. This is proven by figures from the everyday business world. 

Inequality is Shrinking: Branko Milanović Disagrees with Oxfam

Every year the Oxfam report makes sensational headlines. The tenor: global inequality is increasing. 26 billionaires would own as much as the 3.8 billion poorest people in the world. Leading inequality specialist Branko Milanović unmasks Oxfam’s alarmism as misleading.