Send us a text Smith closes Book IV by dismantling mercantilism through the lens of colonial policy, monopoly, and rent seeking, then weighs physiocracy against the system of natural liberty. We trace why colonies grew despite Europe, not because of it, and how “wealth as money” broke policy and fueled war. • mercantilism’s definition of wealth and the balance of trade myth • monopoly and bounties as tools for concentrated gains • chapter 7 on colonies as a case study in institutional design...
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Send us a text Smith closes Book IV by dismantling mercantilism through the lens of colonial policy, monopoly, and rent seeking, then weighs physiocracy against the system of natural liberty. We trace why colonies grew despite Europe, not because of it, and how “wealth as money” broke policy and fueled war. • mercantilism’s definition of wealth and the balance of trade myth • monopoly and bounties as tools for concentrated gains • chapter 7 on colonies as a case study in institutional design...
Send us a text Mike Munger explores insurance economics through the lens of transaction costs and risk management, culminating in an amusing case study about "bat-in-mouth disease." Insurance transfers risk from individuals to larger pools, reducing the expected variance of outcomesThe fair price of insurance equals expected value (probability × potential loss) plus transaction costsInformation asymmetry, subjective risk valuation, and strategic behavior complicate insurance marketsInsuranc...
The Answer Is Transaction Costs
Send us a text Smith closes Book IV by dismantling mercantilism through the lens of colonial policy, monopoly, and rent seeking, then weighs physiocracy against the system of natural liberty. We trace why colonies grew despite Europe, not because of it, and how “wealth as money” broke policy and fueled war. • mercantilism’s definition of wealth and the balance of trade myth • monopoly and bounties as tools for concentrated gains • chapter 7 on colonies as a case study in institutional design...
