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David D’Amato reviews Deirdre McCloskey’s Bourgeois Equality.  Here’s the closing:

Indeed, it seems at times that we are regressing to an antiliberal world of rank, in which trade-tested betterment is forsaken in favor of “nationalism or socialism or proliferating regulation.” The clerisy continue to believe that they know best—better than the hated bourgeois and their crass pragmatism. Never mind that much of the world turned backwards, toward nationalism and socialism, for much of the twentieth century. And even if we could ever assume that the “Genuine Philosophers” of Platonic ideal know best, the question would remain whether they should be allowed to use “violent hands able to compel people to adopt the plan.” Bourgeois Equality is a powerful case for the opposite of elite-managed compulsion, for the process of discovery that has, for the past two hundred years, made the world richer, cleaner, and healthier than was ever imaginable. McCloskey invites her reader to be astonished by that fact, with an eloquence and erudition that is itself astonishing.

Sarah Skwire eulogizes the VCR.

Steve Landsburg ponders the point of a specific intervention now spoken of in some circles.

David Harsanyi digs more deeply into the calamity that is candidate Donald Trump.

Emily Skarbek wisely warns against an argument frequently used by market-oriented scholars and pundits when discussing the developed-world’s complicity in the plight of ‘developing’ countries.

David Henderson shares this video of Texas Tech economist – and GMU Econ alum – Ben Powell discussing sweatshops.

Here is Tyler Cowen on Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro.  And here is Tim Worstall on the same.

And here’s Greg Mankiw’s take on Trump.

Peter Suderman insists – correctly – that Hillary Clinton has, at best, only a casual relationship with the truth.

Carlos Góes reveals that Thomas Piketty’s data do not support Piketty’s theory for the rise in income inequality.  (Or see here.)  (HT David Boaz)

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