The foundation of PERC has always been high-quality academic research rooted in the principles of property rights and markets. It was this focus on research that led to Terry Anderson and Donald Leal’s influential 1990 book Free Market Environmentalism—the first comprehensive argument for “rethinking the way we think” about the environment. With the third editionContinue reading “PERC Reports is hot off the press”
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Don’t mess with Texas fish, either
Despite oil spills, hurricanes and a long history of misguided federal rules, Texas’ commercial fishermen are doing better than ever thanks to new management based on free-market principles and local control.
Where are all the missing bees?
We are right in the middle of National Pollinator Week, and if you haven’t yet paid homage to the honeybees that pollinate your fruits and vegetables, now is your chance. PERC fellows Walter Thurman and Randal Rucker have an op-ed, “Blessed Are the Beekeepers,” in today’s Wall Street Journal claiming that despite the hype about colonyContinue reading “Where are all the missing bees?”
Free Market Environmentalism: It’s No Oxymoron
The PERC/Liberty Fund undergraduate student colloquium, “Free Market Environmentalism and the Institutions of Liberty,” was held last week. A couple of faculty members, 23 students, and I were immersed in a week-long discussion about markets, the environment, and liberty. The group of students was diverse — from across the country and globe. They prepared by readingContinue reading “Free Market Environmentalism: It’s No Oxymoron”
Q&A with Richard Rice of Save Your World
It is officially summer and that means PERC is welcoming dozens of visiting fellows ranging from scholars and students to journalists and entrepreneurs. Last week we welcomed Richard Rice, the co-founder and president of the Save Your World Foundation—a nonprofit whose mission is to protect globally significant areas through incentive-based conservation agreements.
Water As A Crop™: Where Ideas Hold Water
by Steve Parrett People across America and around the world are experiencing stress due to alarming fluctuations in freshwater supplies. The problem is not new; past civilizations exceeded Mother Nature’s bounty, then crumbled or fled in a desperate search for water. Despite our ability to capture water in reservoirs, we struggle to wrap our handsContinue reading “Water As A Crop™: Where Ideas Hold Water”
The Hard Questions for Free Market Environmentalism
The foundation of PERC has always been high-quality academic research rooted in the principles of property rights and markets. It was this focus on research that led to Terry Anderson and Donald Leal’s influential 1990 book Free Market Environmentalism—the first comprehensive argument for “rethinking the way we think” about the environment. With the third editionContinue reading “The Hard Questions for Free Market Environmentalism”
PERC Reports Winter 2011 Comments
Deeply held mistrust of property rights in Africa I just read Gregg Zachary’s most interesting article in PERC Reports (Winter 2011) about property rights in Uganda. I’ve been based here in Kenya for some 45 years and now research mainly economic impacts of property rights. What never ceases to amaze me is the deeply heldContinue reading “PERC Reports Winter 2011 Comments”
Q&A with Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes on Rhino and Tiger Economics
Michael ‘t Sas-Rolfes is an environmental economist with a focus on the role of markets for biodiversity conservation. He has been actively involved in various private conservation initiatives for 25 years, starting as a financial manager of a private game reserve in South Africa and later conducting research on the role of private markets for wildlife conservation in Africa.
Q. & A. on Rhino and Tiger Economics
Conservation of animals like rhinos and elephants may eventually be conducted most successfully by markets where these animals have monetary value rather than just emotional value. It may sound cold, but it could well keep them from becoming extinct