The hottest Economic Policy Substack posts right now

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Top World Politics Topics

They've Got You Buying and Selling

Bet On It • 392 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. Modern protectionism is inconsistent and ad hoc: it attacks both buying from foreigners and selling to them depending on which group complains, rather than following a clear principle.
  2. Exports like housing, tourism, and energy can raise local prices and spark backlash, but that same price effect would apply to any export, so singling out certain sales is arbitrary.
  3. Trade is a form of technology that creates abundance and overall gains, and since progress always hurts some people, the wiser response is to boost production and help the losers rather than block trade.

JD Vance Is the White Kendi

Richard Hanania's Newsletter • 6022 implied HN points • 15 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. He turns lower-class white grievances into an identity-politics playbook, using zero-sum and conspiratorial narratives that cast elites or foreigners as the root cause of most problems.
  2. He routinely blames immigrants, corporations, and experts for economic and social ills while downplaying personal responsibility and market explanations.
  3. If that style spreads, it could remake conservatism into a postliberal, grievance-driven movement that abandons free markets, individual agency, and traditional conservative principles.

Decades of Wisdom from an LVT Advocate: Josh Vincent

Progress and Poverty • 615 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. A land value tax (LVT) is a practical way for cities to capture the unearned value of land to fund local services, lower taxes on buildings, and encourage infill development so cities can compete with suburbs.
  2. Getting LVT adopted is a pragmatic, local political project: start with a clear fiscal problem, recruit a local champion, run straightforward data showing most homeowners and small businesses will save, and design a revenue‑neutral shift.
  3. Compared with income, sales, or one‑off wealth taxes (and restrictive rules like Prop 13), LVT is harder to evade, better aligns incentives for land use, and is especially timely as cities and states take on more fiscal responsibility.

When Will They Take Our Jobs?

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2643 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Economic Policy
  1. If very capable AI is widely unleashed, humans could lose control of the future and even face extinction; we should not assume people automatically remain the beneficiaries of an AI-driven economy.
  2. The Cyborg Era—where humans and AI jointly do work—may last on the order of 10–20 years, but it will likely bring high transitional unemployment and a steady shrinking of meaningful human labor as AI gets better.
  3. Policy should not rush to preserve jobs now; instead the priority is preventing loss of control and addressing existential risks, with job-focused interventions left for when clearer evidence emerges.

Op-ed in Foreign Policy: ‘Made in America’ Should Accept Chinese Investment

Pekingnology • 98 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. The U.S. should allow tightly constrained Chinese investment that protects national security through legal ringfencing, governance safeguards, robust audits, and a clear link to American production and jobs.
  2. Broadly excluding Chinese participation is counterproductive and inconsistent with other U.S. economic goals, because it raises costs, slows manufacturing scale-up, and conflicts with efforts that deepen China’s reliance on U.S. supply.
  3. Policy should use a precise risk test focused on control or privileged data access, favor structured partnerships and minority stakes with governance concessions, and press Beijing to make data-security rules legible and enforceable to enable limited cooperation.
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Fighting back

Comment is Freed • 124 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. Recent by-election losses have triggered a wider momentum shift away from Labour, with the Greens climbing in polls and able to win seats without deep local roots. This trend threatens more poor results for Labour unless it is stopped.
  2. Labour is moving toward centering economic insecurity and the cost of living as the core issue, since frustrated voters are drifting to Greens and other parties for economic reasons. Focusing on everyday financial worries is seen as essential to get back on the pitch.
  3. Simply improving living standards may not automatically win voters' gratitude, so Labour must work out why people don’t give the government credit and build a strategy that goes beyond short-term economic fixes. Understanding that disconnect is critical to reversing the decline.

Trump Loses At SCOTUS on Tariffs

Points And Figures • 666 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The Supreme Court limited the president’s ability to impose tariffs unilaterally, so future tariffs will generally need Congressional approval even though tariffs themselves are not banned.
  2. Economists warn tariffs hurt free markets and can be damaging, but some argue tariffs can be an effective negotiating tool that pressures foreign actors; they also risk being hard to remove and can strain allies.
  3. A pro-market alternative is aggressive deregulation and fiscally conservative state leadership, and downballot races matter because state officials shape tax, regulatory, and investment policies.

The True Jobs Numbers

COVID Reason • 495 implied HN points • 05 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects employment data from two main sources: one from employers about job numbers and another from households about overall employment. These two surveys can show different job growth trends.
  2. Recent job growth numbers claimed a large increase, but much of this was due to seasonal adjustments, masking significant job losses in the private sector.
  3. Most of the jobs added recently were actually government jobs. When looking at unadjusted data, there were a lot more government job increases than private sector jobs.

Everyone Is Wrong About the President's Economic Impact

Sumit's Investment Takes • 99 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. There isn't just one number that shows how good or bad the economy is. You can look at things like unemployment, inflation, and GDP, but they all tell different stories.
  2. The president's actions don’t usually have an immediate effect on the economy. Many factors that affect the economy are outside their control, like market trends and global events.
  3. To really understand a president's impact on the economy, you should look at long-term policies instead of short-term data. Also, things like immigration and international relations can play a big role.

Investing in people, in Rmb20 instalments

Pekingnology • 207 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. The Rmb20 pension rise to Rmb163 is widely seen as a token that leaves many rural elderly still in deep poverty, and delegates are pushing for much larger, faster increases.
  2. The slogan of “investing in people” conflicts with budget choices that favor visible projects and targeted subsidies over simple, direct cash transfers to poor households.
  3. Bigger rural pensions would be both a moral repayment to countryside contributors and an effective way to boost domestic demand, since poor pensioners are likely to spend extra income quickly.

America is being sold out by its leaders

Noahpinion • 53471 implied HN points • 21 Feb 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. There is a concern that America's leaders are making choices that could weaken the country, particularly in foreign relations. If the U.S. were to focus on itself and ignore global involvement, some believe it could hurt its standing in the world.
  2. Some political figures think their vision aligns better with countries like China and Russia than with traditional allies. This shift could lead to a more isolationist approach, where the U.S. limits its international influence.
  3. People worry that the U.S. might reduce military strength and abandon industrial policies, which could harm the economy. Cutting defense spending and focusing on raw materials rather than manufacturing could make the country rely more on other nations.

The U.S.-China competition is on pause

Noahpinion • 17235 implied HN points • 18 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The U.S. and China seem to have paused their rivalry to deal with their own internal issues. Both countries are currently focused on what’s happening at home rather than competing with each other.
  2. In the U.S., there's a mix of public tiredness and political distractions that are shifting attention away from international competition. It seems like the officials aren't really pushing the competition right now.
  3. China is also struggling with its own economic problems, which may be why it’s not as focused on competing with the U.S. at this moment.

EMERGENCY POD: SCOTUS Slashes Tariffs!

ChinaTalk • 296 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The Supreme Court ruled that IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, meaning many tariffs imposed under that law are likely illegal and could trigger mass refund lawsuits and a substantial hit to federal receipts.
  2. The administration can and likely will try to recreate tariffs under other authorities — for example a temporary 10% under Section 122 or country-specific measures under Section 301 — but those routes are more constrained, slower, and invite country-by-country litigation.
  3. Global partners are unlikely to walk away from negotiated deals despite the ruling, Canada faces particular exposure, and small businesses (plus entrenched Chinese supply chains for things like toys) played a crucial role in challenging the tariffs and expose how hard it is to shift manufacturing quickly.

Brace Yourselves: The Jobs Market Is Teetering on the Edge

COVID Reason • 475 implied HN points • 03 Oct 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Hiring is way down and fewer jobs are being created. This shows that companies are worried about the future.
  2. People are not leaving their jobs as much because they feel the job market is risky. They prefer to stay where they are to avoid unemployment.
  3. The Federal Reserve is taking actions like cutting rates, but these steps won't fix the deeper problems in the job market that stem from lower demand for goods and services.

Dos Capital

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2553 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
💰 Finance Economic Policy
  1. If AI and robots fully replace human labor while capital yields rising returns and humans keep owning and controlling that capital, simple math predicts extreme, potentially unbounded wealth concentration.
  2. Those key premises are fragile and unlikely: perpetual human control, inviolable private property, AIs having no property rights, continued human survival and enforceable global taxes are all nontrivial and may break in a transformed world.
  3. Redistribution tools like inheritance or wealth taxes could in theory address extreme inequality but face political, enforcement, and economic limits; the real outcome depends on who holds power and whether democratic control endures.

Should Democrats go back to neoliberalism?

Noahpinion • 18529 implied HN points • 24 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Democrats should reconsider their approach to the economy and think about combining past policies with new ideas for development. Focusing on practical solutions rather than ideological battles can help them respond better to today's challenges.
  2. Blaming grocery stores for high food prices is misplaced. Stronger attacks should be aimed at issues like tariffs, which have a real impact on prices for consumers.
  3. Having a government that can effectively manage and execute projects is important. Instead of relying on outside consultants, a capable bureaucracy can help tackle big problems like infrastructure and housing.

Should Strong Gods Bet On GDP?

Astral Codex Ten • 17413 implied HN points • 05 Aug 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Liberalism can support strong communities, even if it doesn't create them directly. Different groups can build their own communities based on shared values without forcing everyone to conform to one single belief.
  2. Many people in modern society seem unhappy with mainstream culture but rarely choose to form tight-knit communities to escape it. Economics and the need for jobs often hold people back from seeking alternative lifestyles.
  3. Wealth can enhance community building, providing resources and options for people. As society evolves, new economic models might enable more people to create their own ideal communities.

$3000 Essay Contest on Economic Security

ChinaTalk • 741 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Economic security is a rising bipartisan priority, with both parties backing a more active government role in markets to protect U.S. power and long-term growth.
  2. ChinaTalk is running an essay contest to prompt concrete thinking, asking for high-level KPIs for economic security and proposals for where to invest $10–50 billion, including defensive and offensive ideas.
  3. The contest offers a $3,000 prize pool, features prominent judges, requests 2,500–4,000 word essays, and has a submission deadline of March 1.

The Great California Wealth Exodus

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1275 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. A proposed California ballot measure would authorize a first-of-its-kind asset seizure or wealth tax targeting billionaires, creating major legal uncertainty and likely court battles.
  2. Many wealthy founders and investors say they plan to leave California if the measure advances, effectively prompting a potential exodus of high-net-worth people.
  3. That exodus could have big economic ripple effects because these individuals control companies worth roughly $1.3 trillion and employ about 50,000 people, putting jobs and the tech ecosystem at risk.

Jerome Powell's Scorched Earth Moment?

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 27 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
💰 Finance Economic Policy
  1. Jerome Powell may be at a defining moment where his actions could have major consequences for policy and markets.
  2. Today’s Fed press conference and policy decision are especially important and worth close attention because they could shift market expectations.
  3. Detailed analysis of the situation is available only to paid subscribers, so the deeper takeaways are behind a paywall.

Will the Housing Market Crash in 2026?

Progress and Poverty • 1885 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
💰 Finance Economic Policy
  1. An 18-year land-cycle theory says fixed land supply makes real estate unusually prone to recurring speculative booms and busts driven by credit, building cycles, and expectations about future resale values.
  2. The historical pattern is suggestive but weak: the data set is small, several peaks require retrofitting to fit the 18‑year story, and market timing is generally unreliable, so the model is not a strong tool for precise investment forecasts.
  3. Recent housing indicators—high price-to-rent, a large real-estate share of GDP, falling affordability, and elevated new-home inventory—match the theory’s warning signs but differences from 2008 mean a crash is uncertain; the theory nonetheless implies that land-value taxation could dampen speculation and crises often create windows for policy reform.

How the oligarchy shrank America’s middle class (Why American capitalism is so rotten, Part 8)

Robert Reich • 19752 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The virtuous cycle of rising wages with productivity gains broke in the late 1970s, leading to stagnant incomes for most American workers.
  2. Corporate governance shifted in the 1980s, with a focus on maximizing shareholder returns, leading to massive job cuts and weakened worker bargaining power.
  3. Decline in union membership since the late 1970s has contributed to shrinking middle class as unions effectively negotiated better wages and benefits for workers.

How It’s Done

Doomberg • 15215 implied HN points • 16 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The U.S. is recognizing its competition with China over rare earth metals, which are essential for many industries and military needs. They realize they need to act to secure resources that China currently controls.
  2. China has been able to dominate the rare earth market by ignoring environmental regulations, allowing it to produce materials cheaper than countries with stricter rules. This makes it hard for others to compete.
  3. To reduce dependence on China, the U.S. is now investing in domestic production of rare earth metals. This includes the Pentagon buying a significant stake in an American mining company to help build local processing facilities.

Georgism through Land Leasing

Progress and Poverty • 2078 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Municipal land leasing is a practical, proven form of Georgist policy that can generate substantial, ongoing public revenue and fund local projects.
  2. Long-term ground leases with reassessment points, lump-sum payments, annual fees, and repossession clauses let cities monetize land while retaining ownership and capture rising land value in predictable ways.
  3. Leasehold monetization requires capable public development authorities and a more hands-on planning role, so it’s not a perfect substitute for land value taxation, but it is often more politically feasible and complementary to tax reforms.

Was the world of the 1990s better than today’s?

Global Inequality and More 3.0 • 1600 implied HN points • 03 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. The 1990s' faith in financialization, free markets, and privatization was largely wrong and led to crises, government bailouts for the powerful, and growing inequality.
  2. Elites often professed support for multiethnic societies while backing breakups and closing borders, exposing a deep hypocrisy about migration and diversity.
  3. The period enforced intellectual conformity where convenient ideas dominated, and although today’s world has serious problems, public debate is now more open and less ideologically sterile.

Patrick Deneen's Work Is Unempirical Drivel

Richard Hanania's Newsletter • 5071 implied HN points • 14 Nov 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Postliberal thinkers often avoid discussing concrete policies and focus on abstract ideas instead. This can make it hard to pinpoint their actual positions on important issues.
  2. Patrick Deneen, a prominent postliberal figure, tends to rely on emotional appeals and broad claims without providing solid evidence or engaging in real debates about policy.
  3. The rise of postliberalism signifies a decline in healthy intellectual discourse on the right, as it often prioritizes vague narratives over fact-based discussions and critical thinking.

Manufacturing is a war now

Noahpinion • 45765 implied HN points • 04 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Manufacturing is becoming a major struggle between countries, especially between democracies and China. If a conflict arises, it could lead to serious consequences for those not producing enough weapons.
  2. China is rapidly increasing its production capabilities across various industries, including military manufacturing. As a result, other countries are facing challenges in competing against China.
  3. Both major political parties in the U.S. are not fully addressing the manufacturing threat from China. A more balanced strategy involving tariffs, industrial policies, and collaboration with allies is needed to tackle this issue.

Research funding opportunities - Apply Now

Progress and Poverty • 654 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
💰 Finance Economic Policy
  1. The Center for Land Economics launched a short-term Land Economics Fellowship that provides a $3,000 stipend, access to data and mentorship, and a public platform for 4–6 months of focused research; it’s open to people from many backgrounds and applications are due March 1.
  2. The Progress and Poverty Institute is offering Progress of Ideas grants (up to $10,000) to fund research on land value taxation and related topics; they’re especially interested in valuation methods, fiscal and distributional modeling, political messaging, legal constraints, and policy design, with applications due April 6 and eligibility limited to US 501(c)(3) organizations.
  3. The Henry George Foundation of Great Britain offers research grants for work on the modern political and ethical implications of Henry George’s ideas, especially with an international or UK focus, and there’s also a Land Research Network you can join via a short form to connect with other researchers and future opportunities.

Wealth Taxes Raise Less Revenue Than You Think

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 28 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Wealth taxes will likely raise far less money than proponents claim because of unrealistic assumptions and taxpayer responses like relocation and avoidance.
  2. Even large wealth-tax proposals would cover only a small slice of growing federal deficits and aren’t a reliable way to stabilize long‑term government finances.
  3. Framing big spending around narrow "tax the rich" plans can hide the true trade-offs, since sustaining big social programs usually requires broad-based income or consumption taxes on many people.

Financial Empowerment

Points And Figures • 426 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Many athletes have short earning windows and often lack the skills to protect their money, so they need targeted support even though helping them at scale is challenging.
  2. The phrase “financial literacy” is vague and hard to measure, while “financial empowerment” is a clearer, more actionable goal that focuses on practical self-reliance.
  3. Financial empowerment means giving people the ability to be self-reliant regardless of education, and making it a public priority can guide programs and invite people to join the effort.

Progressives Shouldn't Cut Income Taxes

JoeWrote • 39 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Promising income tax cuts only reinforces the Republican idea that taxes are a burden and makes Democrats look weak. That dynamic can help Republicans win and ultimately hurt the working-class people progressives aim to help.
  2. Progressives should reframe taxes as a positive civic tool that pays for public services and a higher quality of life, and push for steadily rising, progressive tax brackets that ask more from those who earn more. This avoids treating taxes as something the average person should resent.
  3. Being honest about raising taxes to fund popular programs can work politically; clear, adult messaging about trade-offs builds trust and helps break the bipartisan neoliberal agreement that treats taxes as inherently bad.

Fed Should Hold Rates Steady In March

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 19 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
💰 Finance Economic Policy
  1. The Fed should hold its policy rate steady in March rather than cut, because current economic data don’t justify easing despite headline uncertainty.
  2. Monetary policy rules like the Taylor rule and nominal GDP rules point to a policy rate near 4 percent, which is above the current 3.5–3.75 percent range and suggests restraint or even a modest increase.
  3. Further rate cuts would need clear evidence — for example inflation falling toward 2 percent, unemployment rising by about a full percentage point, or a sizable drop in nominal spending — so the Fed should wait for those signals before easing.

Crescendo

Doomberg • 8493 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. Putin switched from US Treasuries to gold as a way to challenge Western financial control. This change was significant because it suggested he could sell oil for gold instead of dollars.
  2. The BRICS group, formed by Russia, China, and others, aims to help developing countries gain economic independence from Western powers. This reflects a broader fight over global economic freedom.
  3. The current geopolitical situation is escalating towards a major conflict, with both military and economic tensions rising. The decisions leaders make now could dramatically shape the future of international relations.

Top Links 998 Is India-EU a big deal? Mexico's slow growth. Debord on the Spectacle and MLK: "by all means keep moving”.

Chartbook • 515 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. The India–EU trade agreement is being touted as significant, but it has not been ratified yet, so its actual impact remains uncertain.
  2. Mexico is facing slow economic growth, pointing to persistent structural or policy challenges that could limit near-term progress.
  3. The conversation ties Debord’s idea of the 'spectacle' to MLK’s injunction to 'keep moving,' blending a cultural critique with a call for continued action and engagement.

The End of Pax Americana

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 26 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics Economic Policy
  1. The United States is shifting toward protectionism, using new legal routes to impose broad tariffs that act like heavy taxes and raise prices for American households.
  2. Tariffs can’t revive obsolete industries; they mostly transfer wealth to protected firms, reduce downstream jobs, and hit low- and middle-income families hardest by raising costs and cutting real wages.
  3. Other countries are deepening their own trade ties and the dollar's dominance is waning, so America's global economic leadership is slipping; reversing this trend will require Congress to reclaim trade authority and a return to open trade policies.

The Epstein Saga: Rod Dreher, Nellie Bowles, and Robby Soave on the Files and the Fallout. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 500 implied HN points • 04 Feb 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. The huge release of Epstein files has kept his crimes and elite connections at the center of public life, and how people interpret those documents can fuel widespread anger, conspiracy, or calls for major social change.
  2. Dumping millions of unvetted pages and media risks dragging innocent people into the scandal and exposing victims, creating a dangerous precedent where gossip and unverified claims spread with real consequences.
  3. The fallout reaches beyond the files themselves — journalists face scrutiny for past contacts, and the episode ties into larger debates about accountability, institutional trust, AI-powered watchdogs, and politicization of public institutions.

Two Sides of The News

Points And Figures • 1039 implied HN points • 13 Jan 26
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. A grand jury probe of the Fed highlights how polarized the country is—people interpret the same event very differently depending on their biases.
  2. Some view the investigation as sensible oversight to expose waste, fraud, and mission drift at the Fed, citing large staffs, costly projects, and policy shifts into areas like climate and equality.
  3. Others warn such probes could undermine Fed independence and economic stability, while some advocate cutting government waste and moving away from Keynesian policies toward freer-market ideas.

✨ Don’t expect an AI job apocalypse

Faster, Please! • 1096 implied HN points • 09 Jan 26
💼 Business Economic Policy
  1. AI will meaningfully displace some work but not trigger a job apocalypse — about a quarter of tasks are exposed, which may translate to roughly 6–7% of jobs lost and a modest, mostly temporary rise in unemployment.
  2. Technology tends to destroy specific roles while creating new ones, so AI will transform many jobs and spawn hard-to-predict new occupations rather than permanently eliminate widespread employment.
  3. The transition will be painful for affected workers and depends on adoption speed, so strengthening retraining and safety nets matters, while humans likely retain advantages in judgment, interaction, adaptation, and physical tasks unless general AI emerges.

Chartbook 463: Polygloom - What's wrong with Germany?

Chartbook • 1859 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Economic Policy
  1. Germany is facing economic troubles and a slowdown in growth, with many people feeling pessimistic about the future. This situation has led to a rise in support for the far-right political party, AfD.
  2. The challenges facing Germany now include increased competition from China and political uncertainty, especially regarding NATO and public trust in government. Many people are worried about the direction Germany is heading.
  3. Despite the grim outlook, there are ideas that suggest Germany could improve by investing more in infrastructure, education, and addressing social needs. This could help tackle issues like inequality and dissatisfaction among the population.