All these premises having, as I think, been clearly made out, it is impossible that the rulers now on earth should make any benefit, or derive any the least shadow of authority from that, which is held to be the fountain of all power, Adam's private dominion and paternal jurisdiction; so that he that will not give just occasion to think that all government in the world is the product only of force and violence, and that men live together by no other rules but that of beasts, where the strongest carries it, and so lay a foundation for perpetual disorder and mischief, tumult, sedition and rebellion, (things that the followers of that hypothesis so loudly cry out against) must of necessity find out another rise of government, another original of political power, and another way of designing and knowing the persons that have it, than what Sir Robert Filmer hath taught us.

Two Treatises of Government.

What makes organizations so similar? We contend that the engine of rationalization and bureaucratization has moved from the competitive marketplace to the state and the professions. Once a set of organizations emerges as a field, a paradox arises: rational actors make their organizations increasingly similar as they try to change them. We describe three isomorphic processes-coercive, mimetic, and normative—leading to this outcome. We then specify hypotheses about the impact of resource centralization and dependency, goal ambiguity and technical uncertainty, and professionalization and structuration on isomorphic change. Finally, we suggest implications for theories of organizations and social change.

The iron cage revisited: Institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields (Chinese Translation)

Anarchy, state, and utopia

Capitalism and Freedom

A recent literature has constructed top income shares time series over the long run for more than twenty countries using income tax statistics. Top incomes represent a small share of the population but a very significant share of total income and total taxes paid. Hence, aggregate economic growth per capita and Gini inequality indexes are sensitive to excluding or including top incomes. We discuss the estimation methods and issues that arise when constructing top income share series, including income definition and comparability over time and across countries, tax avoidance, and tax evasion. We provide a summary of the key empirical findings. Most countries experience a dramatic drop in top income shares in the first part of the twentieth century in general due to shocks to top capital incomes during the wars and depression shocks. Top income shares do not recover in the immediate postwar decades. However, over the last thirty years, top income shares have increased substantially in English speaking countries and in India and China but not in continental European countries or Japan. This increase is due in part to an unprecedented surge in top wage incomes. As a result, wage income comprises a larger fraction of top incomes than in the past. Finally, we discuss the theoretical and empirical models that have been proposed to account for the facts and the main questions that remain open.

Top Incomes in the Long Run of History

The retail consumption tax has several advantages over the income tax. From a utilitarian standpoint, it is more efficient and causes less distortion to the economy, at least in cases where the tax is low. However, there are some ethical problems with retail consumption taxes. The author discusses the relative advantages of a retail consumption tax and some ethical problems inherent in the tax.

Retail Consumption Taxes: A Look at Some Economic and Ethical Issues

Several Congresses have passed various forms of minimum tax, both at the individual and corporate level. They have even passed alternative minimum tax bills to squeeze out additional tax revenue that would not otherwise be forthcoming. The problem was caused by the philosophy of taxation they have adopted over the years.

The Case for a Maximum Tax

For years, the media and President Trump’s political opponents have been talking about the amount of taxes Trump pays (or doesn’t pay). As of this writing, his recent tax returns have not been released, so anything anyone says needs to be discounted. However, it is possible to make certain tentative statements and conclusions based on the facts that have been made available and the application of economic and political theory. The present paper does that.

Trump’s Taxes: An Analysis of the Allegations

One of the benefits of globalization is that it is bringing economies closer together. As trade and investment barriers fall, investors are able to take advantage of an ever increasing number of investment opportunities. That sounds like good news, doesn’t it? The problem with this scenario, if you are one of the bloated, high-tax Western European welfare states, is that you are witnessing an exodus of investment capital to jurisdictions that are more tax friendly. Corporations that are headquartered in one of these high tax countries are increasingly exercising their options to invest elsewhere. The result is a loss of jobs and tax revenue to the high tax jurisdictions and an influx of capital, jobs and economic growth to the countries that offer lower corporate tax rates.

Robert W. McGee

Papers

Retail Consumption Taxes: A Look at Some Economic and Ethical Issues

The Case for a Maximum Tax

Trump’s Taxes: An Analysis of the Allegations

Is Tax Competition Harmful

Financial Crime: A Literature Review