Aug 20 2024 18 mins 137
Can high prices during emergencies actually save lives? Using North Carolina as an example, we dissect the economic and legal implications of these laws, exploring the ambiguities in terms like "unreasonably excessive" and the chilling effect on commerce. Discover how artificially low prices can lead to resource misallocation, discourage stockpiling, and hinder the transportation of vital supplies during crises. Allowing higher prices is, perhaps surprisingly, the only way to get low prices soon.
Links on Price Gouging:
Videos:
Articles:
- https://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/y2007/Mungergouging.html
- https://www.aier.org/article/three-undeniable-problems-with-anti-gouging-laws/
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1099567#:~:text=Matt%20Zwolinski,-University%20of%20San&text=Price%20gouging%20occurs%20when%2C%20in,needed%20to%20cover%20increased%20costs.
Book o'da Week: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/What-Went-Wrong-with-Capitalism/Ruchir-Sharma/9781668008263
If you have questions or comments, or want to suggest a future topic, email the show at [email protected] !
You can follow Mike Munger on Twitter at @mungowitz
