Do governments pick losers?

February 15, 2008 7:00 am

I recently wrote here about why governments pick losers: I was only aware of some older thoughts on the subject by Mancur Olson and Gary Becker, but Richard Baldwin writes to alert me to some more recent work he’s done with Frédéric Robert-Nicoud. Those interested in the technical analysis or the extensive bibliography should check it out (NBER version is here, final version was published in the JEEA, 2007).
Others will simply appreciate this line: it is not that government policy picks losers, it is that losers pick government policy.

Posted in Everyday economics |
Print
Share
Print
Share

Tim Harford’s blog

This blog is no longer updated but it remains open as an archive.

Tim, also known as the Undercover Economist, writes about the economics of everyday life.

The Undercover Economist: a guide

Publishing schedule: Excerpts from "The Undercover Economist" and "Dear Economist", Tim's weekly columns for the FT Magazine, are published on this blog on Saturday mornings.
More about Tim: Tim also writes editorials for the FT, presents Radio 4's More or Less and is the author of "The Undercover Economist" and "The Logic of Life".
Comment: To comment, please register with FT.com, which you can do for free here. Please also read our comments policy here.
Contact: Tim's contact address is: economist@ft.com
Time: UK time is shown on posts.
Follow: A link to the blog's RSS feeds is at the top of the page.
Follow on Twitter
FT blogs: See the full range of the FT's blogs here.