Vol.26, No. 4, Winter 2003-2004

Cover Story

Campaign Finance: Who's Twisting Whose Arm

Politics and the Business CorporationDo politicians want donations more than corporations want to give them? by Robert H. Sitkoff (PDF, 7 pp, 473 Kb)

Features

Agriculture

The New Farm Economy The agriculture industry has entered the 21st century; perhaps farm policy will do so as well. by Russell L. Lamb (PDF, 6 pp, 418 Kb)

Theory

Following the Herd Why do some ideas suddenly become popular, and then die out just as quickly? by Pierre Lemieux (PDF, 6 pp, 422 Kb)

Antitrust

The Legacy of U.S. v. Microsoft Do advances in economic theory lead to advances in legal practice? by Tim Brennan (PDF, 7 pp, 489 Kb)

Economic Reform

Regulation and the Marketplace Does government regulation offer any better protection to market participants than private assurance? by Karim Jamal, Michael Maier, and Shyam Sunder (PDF, 4 pp, 413 Kb)

Evaluating Transfer Regulations Routine use of cost-effectiveness analysis could dramatically improve transfer programs’ effectiveness while saving taxpayers’ money. by Eric A. Posner (PDF, 4 pp, 235 Kb)

Federalism and Regulation What sorts of regulation are best handled on the federal level? by Robert W. Hahn, Anne Layne-Farrar, and Peter Passell (PDF, 5 pp, 244 Kb)

Mercatus Reports

Conserving Water | An Ocean Czar? | Peering at Regulatory Science | Regulation and Free Enterprise around the Globe (PDF, 2 pp, 174 Kb)
Commentary: The Endangered Species Act Turns 30 (PDF, 3 pp, 206 Kb)

In Review

A Poverty of Reason, by Wilfred Beckerman | Reconstructing Climate Policy, by Richard B. Stewart and Jonathan B. Wiener | Are Children More Vulnerable to Environmental Chemicals?, edited by Daland R. Juberg (PDF, 4 pp, 233 kb)

Final Word

Dubya's Happy Message to Me by Penn Jillette (PDF, 1 pp, 156 kb)