Is this crisis capitalism’s fault? No. And neither was the last one March 23, 2023 In the fourth of an eight part series, Dr Rainer Zitelmann mythbusts the arguments against free markets. Today, it’s “Capitalism repeatedly leads to new economic and financial crises” For as long as there have been anti-capitalists, they have been anticipating the great crisis that would bring about the final, irreversible collapse of capitalism. Karl Marx [...]
What do Brits think of capitalism? Not much, it seems March 18, 2023 One of the most surprising findings of an international survey conducted on attitudes towards capitalism for the book In Defence of Capitalism is that the British – in the motherland of capitalism – are far more critical of capitalism than might be expected. Only in 12 countries are attitudes towards capitalism more negative than in [...]
In defence of capitalism: How free markets can help us go green March 15, 2023 For more than 20 years, researchers at Yale University have been publishing the Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which ranks countries according to their environmental health and ecosystem vitality. A comparison can be made between the EPI and the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, which has been measuring economic freedom around the globe since 1995. [...]
UK must turn around the ship of state towards economic freedom March 12, 2023 Dr Rainer Zitelmann is a historian and sociologist. In this guest essay, he argues the UK is slipping down the list of free countries in a new global index Last year, the UK received its worst rating in the Index of Economic Freedom since 1995, when the index was first calculated. This year’s rating is [...]
In Defence of Capitalism: How free markets are lifting people out of poverty March 8, 2023 In the second of an eight part series, the historian and sociologist Dr Rainer Zitelmann writes for City A.M. in defence of capitalism, arguing that freer markets are usually the answer to society’s problems, not the cause. Each week he will ‘myth-bust’ the common complaints about capitalism – and this week, it’s that capitalism is responsible [...]
In Defence of Capitalism: Why free markets can keep driving billions out of hunger and poverty March 1, 2023 In the first of an eight part series, the historian and sociologist Dr Rainer Zitelmann writes for City A.M. in defence of capitalism, arguing that freer markets are usually the answer to society’s problems, not the cause. Each week he will ‘myth-bust’ the common complaints about capitalism – and this week, it’s that capitalism is [...]
The EU’s plans for a ‘social sustainability’ taxonomy are a dangerous intervention February 16, 2022 A few weeks ago, there were heated discussions in the European Union about the so-called “taxonomy,” which will give the EU Commission and European authorities the power to determine which investments are good (i.e. green and sustainable) and which are not. The classifications issued in Brussels would then steer investors’ money in the “right” direction. [...]
No, not that German election: An anti-capitalist referendum on rent prices September 29, 2021 Entrepreneurs can breathe a sigh of relief and stay in Germany without having to worry about emigrating. At least for now. A government made up of Germany’s three biggest left-wing parties was narrowly averted in Sunday’s elections. Narrowly is the operative word, because the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and Die Linke (the former communist [...]
Analysis: Last German state election could provide clues to Bundestag poll itself June 8, 2021 What does the last state election before Germany’s Bundestag poll tell us about the future of the country’s politics – and the EU? German historian and sociologist Rainer Zitelmann takes a look. On Sunday, elections were held in Saxony-Anhalt – one of the five former East German states. The election had long been the subject [...]
Capitalism is the solution, not the problem, when we look at climate change June 5, 2021 One of the most frequently raised arguments against capitalism is that it is the primary driver of environmental pollution and climate change. But if we compare Yale University’s ranking of countries with the highest environmental performance with the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, a very different correlation emerges. Read more: In the lead up [...]