General Economics Archives - Steven McMullen

Articles & Essays Ethics General Economics Papers & Presentations Theology

A New Direction for Kuyperian Economics

A recent small conference hosted by the Journal of Markets and Morality inspired me to work out an argument that I started thinking through as I read some recent work on Neo-Calvinist economic thought. The result is this paper. I am already aware that there…

Steven C. McMullenOctober 14, 2021

Ethics General Economics Poverty and Inequality Uncategorized

Prostitution, State Violence, and Economic Opportunities: A Response to McMullen

This is a guest post by Scott Cunningham, an Economist at Baylor University, in response to my post about the legalization of prostitution, available here. The context for this conversation is a podcast episode from last year, in which I interviewed Scott about his empirical…

Steven C. McMullenMay 3, 2021

General Economics Poverty and Inequality

Regulation, Licensing, and Poverty

There is a strong sense, particularly on the left and the populist right, that our market economy in the U.S. is not serving everyone well. The argument goes something like this: Those who have some wealth and good connections find an easy path to education,…

Steven C. McMullenJanuary 11, 2021

Articles & Essays Ethics General Economics Poverty and Inequality

Can Baby Bonds Adress Historic Racial Injustice?

This paper was prepared for the ASE Sessions at the 2021 ASSA annual meetings. Abstract: The injustices that have been visited upon African Americans in the United States have a substantial economic legacy. The wealth gap between African American and White citizens is just one…

Steven C. McMullenDecember 31, 2020

Ethics General Economics Poverty and Inequality Theology

Capitalism, Opportunity, the Welfare State, and Virtue

Does capitalism undermine virtue and community? Or does it reinforce virtuous behavior? Does capitalism require a virtuous population, or does it succeed because it assumes the worst about people? I have been thinking about these questions throughout my career, and occasionally written about them (here,…

Steven C. McMullenOctober 26, 2020

Ethics General Economics Theology

Stewardship as an Environmental and Economic Ethic

This post was written for the Christian Scholar's Review blog. One of the most powerful metaphors in Christian social thought is the idea of stewardship. It comes right out of Genesis, with the idea that God gives humans a job to do on earth, and…

Steven C. McMullenOctober 14, 2020

Book Reviews Ethics General Economics

Review of Why Liberalism Failed

This review appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Faith & Economics, and you can get a typeset PDF version there. If you are interested in the conversation about this book, you can also check out the response I wrote up to the book upon…

Steven C. McMullenSeptember 16, 2020

Education General Economics

Why Is College so Expensive?

Education is becoming more expensive, but not because of government subsidies, not because of the growth of administration, not because of an amenities arms race. The reason is wages. People are expensive and have become more so over time, in relative terms. This is William…

Steven C. McMullenSeptember 15, 2020

Ethics General Economics Theology

What Does Christianity have to do with Economics? Three Approaches

This post was written for, and originally posted on, the Christian Scholar's Review Blog, available here. Since most faculty are trained in thoroughly secular universities and disciplines, it can take some work to figure out what difference Christian faith can have in the practice of…

Steven C. McMullenSeptember 11, 2020

Education General Economics

Can Higher Education Be Unbundled?

This is the fifth in a series on the economics of higher education. The first four posts in this series can be found here: Higher Education and Covid-19Why Emergency Cost Cutting in Higher Ed is So DamagingShould Colleges Merge?Why Colleges Will Not be Replaced by…

Steven C. McMullenAugust 18, 2020

General Economics