Arnold Kling’s new book, Learning Economics, is a treasure-chest of deep and relevant economic insights. It’s also wonderfully clear. This news is no surprise to regular readers of his blog, Econlog. (Many of these essays were first published at Tech Central Station. I join Arnold in thanking TCS’s Nick Schulz for encouraging Arnold to write for popular audiences.)
And even when I disagree with him – Arnold’s more Keynesian than I am – I find his arguments reasonable and strong.
Here’s my favorite passage:
The fundamental problem is that we believe that health insurance is something that only should be received as a gift — never obtained for oneself. Thus, we immediately assume that when a family does not have health insurance, they are to be pitied for not having received the gift, rather than being blamed for not having taken responsibility.
