Financial Fraud vs. Election Fraud: Similarities, Differences, and Security

Actual or not, fraud is widely perceived to have affected the 2020 Presidential election in the United States Bank fraud and election fraud have relevant similarities Banking cybersecurity techniques are applicable to election security Expensivity’s proposal for a Cryptosecure Election Protocol (CEP) would secure the electoral process With 2020 delivering perhaps the most contentious presidential […]

51 min read

The 25 Most Influential Economics Programs and the 25 Most Influential Economists

The well-known Harvard economist Greg Mankiw recently blogged about a new website called AcademicInfluence.com. This site features some fascinating machine-learning tools for determining the most influential schools by discipline as well as the most influential faculty in those disciplines. You can even toggle the time-frame in which to gauge influence. If you do this for […]

4 min read

The Two Dirtiest Words in Economics: Free and Fair

The two dirtiest words in economics are four-letter words beginning with “f”: free and fair. More economic mischief has been wrought through these two words than any others. These words have seemingly straightforward uses. Free can simply mean that no money or anything of value was given in exchange for a benefit. Such a benefit […]

24 min read

The Infinitely Fast Penny: Understanding the Velocity of Money

Imagine a world in which money abounds but people are too fearful to spend it. Thinking that things can only get worse, they hold onto it for a worse emergency than the present distress. In consequence, even though there’s a lot of liquidity, very little gets spent. This is a deflationary scenario, and it doesn’t […]

5 min read