State, Government and Politics

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.

Our Superstate: Controlled by Party Headquarters, Bureaucracies—and Central Banks

A new book by Beat Kappeler shows that the separation of powers is being undermined, parliaments are being commanded by governments and bureaucracies, and the debt economy is being financed by central banks. The author also proposes remedies for these issues.

Has Liberalism Failed? Patrick Deneen’s Populist Anti-Liberalism: A Catholic Classical Liberal’s Response

In his book “Why Liberalism Failed” Patrick Deneen deals with all varieties of Liberalism. They are the fruit of a false image of man – an assertion which, however, proves to be questionable on closer inspection.

China, the US, and Europe: Who Will Lead after the Coronavirus Crisis?

Will China soon be the world’s number one power? Not if the West returns to its basic values of liberty, and if the Western governments dare to destroy their self-inflicted debt traps.

Has Liberalism Failed? A Response to Patrick Deneen (Short Version)

Has liberalism become a victim of its own success? A short version of the review and critique of Patrick Deneen’s book “Why Liberalism Failed.”

Fury vs. Freedom: The New Left-Right Conflict

Today, social debates are ignited from the political margins. When democracy is in crisis and social cohesion is crumbling, it is time for intellectuals to focus on the essentials. What is needed is an anti-totalitarian self-enlightenment from the political center.

Racial Accounting and the Galvanization of Group Rights in the U.S. – Not a Liberal Solution

To combat racial discrimination, government agencies in the U.S. keep a kind of accounting system based on race and ethnicity. Well-intentioned policies perpetuate divisions in society.

Why Intellectuals Don’t Like Capitalism

Anti-capitalism is widespread among both right-wing and left-wing intellectuals. Both are united by the belief that economic and social problems can be solved primarily through state action.

What Do Families Contribute to the Social Welfare System?

In Austria, about half of public expenditure benefit the 60+ generation. Pensions, health care and long-term care benefits are the most important public programs aimed mainly at the elderly population.

Racism: On the Bad and “Good” Kinds of Prejudicial Suspicion

For the guardians of political correctness, prejudicial suspicion is not bad in itself, so long as it is directed against the right groups. Moreover, the current hysteria about racism obscures the real problems—creating an obstacle for those who actually want to help.

The Bolivian Fairy Tale – The Illusory Success of “21st Century Socialism”

For years Bolivia was considered a successful example of the “Socialism of the 21st century”. An apparently booming economy blinded economists and politicians and obscured the view of a regime that was in reality authoritarian and corrupt.

Is the Pope Calling for a Universal Basic Income?

Pope Francis never called for a “universal basic income” as a new socio-political model. He asked for financial assistance for those on the margins who have been harmed by the quarantine. Even so, the idea of a “basic income” is only feasible, if at all, in a country with strong protection of property rights and a market economy.