Articles By This Author

Ten things we know that just ain’t so

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From swimming after eating, to getting sick from sitting in a draft, we’re all told myths about what’s good or bad for us. “I honestly

The true state of communist Cuba

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The ANC loves to name-check Cuba as a liberation-era ally and a model for developing countries to emulate. One of the first acts of foreign

How to spot scams and quackery

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Quack remedies like buchu extract are as old as the hills. Marketing them is a well-honed skill. Here’s what to look out for. In the

Kamalanomics: taxing the rich

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Kamala Harris, unsurprisingly, favours tax increases on the rich and on companies, going even further than Joe Biden’s proposals. I’ve been writing about the policies

Kamalanomics: scattershot approach to housing

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It is widely accepted that the US faces a housing crisis. The nature, causes and potential solutions to this crisis are a matter of dispute,

Kamalanomics: populist price control policies

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Kamala Harris’s economic manifesto amounts to populist railing against reality. Her proposals on “price gouging” demonstrate her poor grasp of markets. Kamala Harris, the Democratic

Google “monopoly” is none of government’s business

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It has become widely accepted that governments ought to regulate markets to prevent monopolistic behaviour, but that view is mistaken. Four years ago, the US

Why Cape Town should not host the 2040 Olympics

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A Stellenbosch economic history professor argues that Cape Town should host the 2040 Olympic Games. It should not. Cape Town should bid to host the

Western culture is secular, not religious

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Western prosperity is based on secular liberalism and religious freedom, not on religious tradition. “The Muslim faith, in the long run, is incompatible with Western

Why wealth taxes don’t work

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A wealth tax in South Africa would depress economic growth, and benefit only the tax consulting industry. Wealth taxes – recurrent taxes on individual net