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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 1, 2005
/ 20 Adar I, 5765
Economics for the citizen
By
Walter Williams
Part Eight of a Ten-Part Series
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Economic theory is broadly applicable. However, a society's
property-rights structure influences how the theory will manifest
itself. It's the same with the theory of gravity. While it, too, is
broadly applicable, attaching a parachute to a falling object affects
how the law of gravity manifests itself. The parachute doesn't nullify
the law of gravity. Likewise, the property-rights structure doesn't
nullify the laws of demand and supply.
Property rights refer to who has exclusive authority to
determine how a resource is used. Property rights are said to be
communal when government owns and determines the use of a resource.
Property rights are private when it's an individual who owns and has the
exclusive right to determine the non-prohibited uses of a resource and
receive the benefit there from. Additionally, private-property rights
confer upon the owner the right to keep, acquire and sell the property
to others on mutually agreeable terms.
Property rights might be well defined or ill defined. They
might be cheaply enforceable or costly to enforce. These and other
factors play a significant role in the outcomes we observe. Let's look
at a few of them.
A homeowner has a greater stake in the house's future value
than a renter. Even though he won't be around 50 or 100 years from now,
the house's future housing services figure into its current selling
price. Thus, homeowners tend to have a greater concern for the care and
maintenance of a house than a renter. One of the ways homeowners get
renters to share some of the interests of owners is to require security
deposits.
Here's a property-rights test question. Which economic
entity is more likely to pay greater attention to wishes of its
clientele and seek the most efficient methods of production? Is it an
entity whose decision makers are allowed to keep for themselves the
monetary gain from pleasing clientele and seeking efficient production
methods, or is it entities whose decision makers have no claim on those
monetary rewards? If you said it is the former, a for-profit entity, go
to the head of the class.
While there are systemic differences between for-profit and
non-profit entities, decision makers in both try to maximize returns. A
decision maker for a non-profit will more likely seek in-kind gains such
as plush carpets, leisurely work hours, long vacations and clientele
favoritism. Why? Unlike his for-profit counterpart, he doesn't have
property rights to take his gains. Also, since he can't capture for
himself the gains and doesn't suffer the losses himself, there's reduced
pressure to please clientele and seek least-cost production methods.
You say, "Professor Williams, for-profit entities sometimes
have plush carpets, have juicy expense accounts and behave in ways not
unlike non-profits." You're right, and again, it's a property-rights
issue. Taxes change the property-rights structure of earnings. If
there's a tax on profits, then taking profits in a money form becomes
more costly. It becomes relatively less costly to take some of the gains
in non-money forms.
It's not just businessmen who behave this way. Say you're on
a business trip. Under which scenario would you more likely stay at a
$50-a-night hotel and eat at Burger King? The first is where your
employer gives you $1,000 and tells you to keep what's left over. The
second is where he tells you to turn in an itemized list of your
expenses and he'll reimburse you. In the first case, you capture for
yourself the gains from finding the cheapest way of conducting the trip,
and in the second, you don't.
These examples are merely the tip of the effect that
property-rights structure has on resource allocation. It's one of the
most important topics in the relatively new discipline of law and economics.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in uplifting articles.
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Walter Williams Weekly Column Archives
Economics for the citizen, Part Seven
Economics for the citizen, Part Six
Economics for the citizen, Part Five
Economics for the citizen, Part Four
Economics for the citizen, Part Three
Economics for the citizen, Part Two
Economics for the citizen, Part One
© 2005, Creators Syndicate
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