Bryan Caplan is a professor of economics whose work delves into public economics, critically examining the assumptions of rational voters. He challenges conventional public choice models with his own concept of "rational irrationality." Caplan also offers analyses of communism and its historical impacts, exploring the philosophical underpinnings of libertarianism and free-market principles.
Exploring the impact of housing regulations, Bryan Caplan argues for radical deregulation to alleviate high housing prices in desirable areas. He contends that restrictive policies are the root cause of low supply, and that freeing property owners to build more could halve housing costs. The book outlines potential benefits such as reduced inequality, enhanced social mobility, economic growth, and environmental improvements. Combining engaging graphics with thorough research, it critiques current housing policies and advocates for transformative change in the housing market.
American policy-makers have long been locked in a heated battle over whether, how many, and what kind of immigrants to allow to live and work in the country. Those in favor of welcoming more immigrants often cite humanitarian reasons, while those in favor of more restrictive laws argue the need to protect native citizens. But economist Bryan Caplan adds a new, compelling perspective to the immigration debate: He argues that opening all borders could eliminate absolute poverty worldwide and usher in a booming worldwide economy—undeniably benefiting all of humanity. With a clear and conversational tone, exhaustive research, and vibrant illustrations by Zach Weinersmith, Open Borders makes the case for unrestricted immigration easy to follow and hard to deny.
"Despite being immensely popular--and immensely lucrative--education is grossly overrated. In this explosive book, Bryan Caplan argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skill but to certify their intelligence, work ethic, and conformity--in other words, to signal the qualities of a good employee. Learn why students hunt for easy As and casually forget most of what they learn after the final exam, why decades of growing access to education have not resulted in better jobs for the average worker but instead in runaway credential inflation, how employers reward workers for costly schooling they rarely if ever use, and why cutting education spending is the best remedy. Caplan draws on the latest social science to show how the labor market values grades over knowledge, and why the more education your rivals have, the more you need to impress employers. He explains why graduation is our society's top conformity signal, and why even the most useless degrees can certify employability. He advocates two major policy responses. The first is educational austerity. Government needs to sharply cut education funding to curb this wasteful rat race. The second is more vocational education, because practical skills are more socially valuable than teaching students how to outshine their peers. Romantic notions about education being "good for the soul" must yield to careful research and common sense--The Case against Education points the way"--page [4] of cover
We've needlessly turned parenting into an unpleasant chore. Parents invest more time and money in their kids than ever, but the shocking lesson of twin and adoption research is that upbringing is much less important than genetics in the long run. These revelations have surprising implications for how we parent and how we spend time with our kids. The big lesson: Mold your kids less and enjoy your life more. Your kids will still turn out fine. Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids is a book of practical big ideas. How can parents be happier? What can they change--and what do they need to just accept? Which of their worries can parents safely forget? Above all, what is the right number of kids for you to have? You'll never see kids or parenthood the same way again.
The greatest obstacle to sound economic policy is not entrenched special
interests or rampant lobbying, but the popular misconceptions, irrational
beliefs, and personal biases held by ordinary voters. This title looks at how
people who vote under the influence of false beliefs ultimately end up with
government that delivers lousy results.
