Category Archives: Uncategorized

I recently stumbled upon this thoughtful commentary on Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations by the late great Ronald Coase. Considering that Coase is one of my intellectual heroes (see here, for example), how did I not discover his beautiful essay … Continue reading →

That is the title of my four-page 2007 paper on “judicial decrepitude” — a term coined by historian David Garrow. In brief, building on Garrow’s work, my paper attempts to measure the true extent of the problem of judicial decrepitude … Continue reading →

That is the title of my contribution (in press) to the next issue of the Journal of Public Finance and Public Choice. Among other things, my refereed research article extends Geoffrey Brennan and James Buchanan’s public-choice critique of the “optimal taxation” … Continue reading →

That is the title of my most recent work, which I have just posted to SSRN. In summary, to make the best use of my sabbatical, last summer I enrolled in a Classics seminar at Rollins College in Orlando, Florida. … Continue reading →

… there remain opportunities, even at this late date, for remedying the present meagre knowledge of Adam Smith’s life. [W. R. Scott, “Studies relating to Adam Smith in the last fifty years”, Proceedings of the British Academy (1940), Appendix II, … Continue reading →

Who was the duchesse d’Enville, and what was Adam Smith’s relation to her? Today, Alain Alcouffe and I wish to conclude our series by bringing to your attention an additional primary source that may — or may not — shed … Continue reading →