Mark Skousen

"I have sometimes almost wished it had been my destiny to have been born two or three centuries hence." -- Ben Franklin Was Benjamin Franklin an indispensable public servant or a cunning chameleon? A hard-headed entrepreneur or an opportunistic privateer? A devoted family man or a notorious womanizer? A scientist and inventor or a hoaxer and self promoter? A believer or a heretic? The first civilized American or the most dangerous man in America? Read this book, and you decide In The Greatest American, Dr. Mark Skousen--"America's Economist" and a direct descendant of the old man--reveals many new features and little-known facts about Ben Franklin, such as: - Why Franklin was a free trader: "No nation was ever ruined by trade." - The surprising benefits of inflation to pay for the American Revolution. - How the War of Independence transformed him from a religious heretic to a believing theist. - Why he hated party politics. - How he changed his mind about slavery and became a devout abolitionist. - The truth about his love affairs with women. Did he really abandon his wife Deborah, or did she abandon him? - Why he never applied for any patents for his famous inventions. - Why George Washington loved Franklin and John Adams despised him. - Why he turned against his beloved son, William, and never forgave him. - His preference for private welfare and charities rather than state-run social programs and welfare. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest of the founding fathers -- he was indeed a whole generation ahead of George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson -- and yet he was the most forward-looking of the group and the most modern of the founders. The Greatest American shows just how much of an impact Benjamin Franklin had on American politics and daily life. "Few scholars today know Benjamin Franklin as well, or as intimately, as Mark Skousen. That familiarity is on full display in The Greatest American. Skousen, a direct descendant of his subject, ranges nimbly across the remarkable breadth of Franklin's life, from his views on business and economics to education and, yes, sex. Along the way, he makes a com- pelling case not only for Franklin's greatness but also for his relevance today. He is the most modern of founders--and the most fun." --Eric Weiner, author, Ben and Me, and former foreign correspondent for NPR "Mark Skousen lucidly, delightfully and successfully lays out the life of one the most extraordinary figures in American-- and indeed world--history. Franklin personified and promoted the characteristics and culture that made America great, especially the drive for self-improvement and inventiveness. His genius for diplomacy was absolutely essential for the success of the American Revolution. The significance of his astonishing scientific achievements, insights, and research are only now being fully appreciated. One can only exclaim: What a man " --Steve Forbes, chairman and editor in chief, Forbes magazine "We can't bring back Ben Franklin. That's too bad, because America could use him now. Mark Skousen does the next best thing: channeling the spirit of Franklin in this lively and accessible book. Strangers to Franklin will marvel at all he accomplished. Even Franklin experts will benefit from reminders of the breadth of his contributions to American life." --H. W. Brands, University of Texas at Austin "If anyone embodies the Renaissance man, it's Ben Franklin-- printer, scientist, musician, inventor, author, activist, statesman, and diplomat. Mark Skousen delves into every facet of his remarkable life, including Franklin's surprisingly active love life into his eighties, in this lively and entertaining book. Highly recommended " --Alexander Green, chief investment strategist, The Oxford Club, and author of Beyond Wealth

The Making of Modern Economics presents a bold and engaging history of economics—the dramatic story of how the great economic thinkers built today's rigorous social science. This comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the major economic philosophers begins with Adam Smith and continues through to the present day. It examines the contributions each one made to our understanding of the role of the economist, the science of economics and economic theory. Boxes in each chapter highlight little-known and entertaining facts about the economists' personal lives that had an influence on their work. The fourth edition adds coverage of modern monetary theory, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, minimum wage debates, Schumpeter and socialism, Malthus and immigration, and more. The Making of Modern Economics is a valuable, engaging text for courses in the history of economic thought and political economy.

The Making of Modern Economics presents a bold and engaging history of economics—the dramatic story of how the great economic thinkers built today's rigorous social science. This comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the major economic philosophers begins with Adam Smith and continues through to the present day. It examines the contributions each one made to our understanding of the role of the economist, the science of economics and economic theory. Boxes in each chapter highlight little-known and entertaining facts about the economists' personal lives that had an influence on their work. The fourth edition adds coverage of modern monetary theory, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, minimum wage debates, Schumpeter and socialism, Malthus and immigration, and more. The Making of Modern Economics is a valuable, engaging text for courses in the history of economic thought and political economy.

In 2014, the U. S. government adopted a new quarterly statistic called gross output (GO), the most significance advance in national income accounting since gross domestic product (GDP) was developed in the 1940s. The announcement came as a triumph for Mark Skousen, who advocated GO nearly 25 years ago as an essential macroeconomic tool and a better way to measure the economy and the business cycle. Now it has become an official statistic issued quarterly by the Bureau of Economic Analysis at the U. S. Department of Commerce. In this new revised edition of Structure of Production, Skousen shows why GO is a more accurate and comprehensive measure of the economy because it includes business-to-business transactions that move the supply chain along to final use. (GDP measures the value of finished goods and services only, and omits B-to-B activity.) GO is an attempt to measure spending at all stages of production. Using GO, Skousen demonstrates that the supply-side of the business spending is far more important than consumer spending, is more consistent with economic growth theory, and a better measure of the business cycle.

EconoPower will provide you with a firm understanding of the influence of modern economics and how it can be used to improve the world we live in. It offers practical advice on numerous personal financial matters—earning, saving, investing, and retiring—based on the breakthrough contributions of behavioral economists. And it looks at how economists are working successfully on issues such as public education, crime, and global warming. EconoPower also examines how a new economic philosophy may dominate the new millennium.

History comes alive in this fascinating story of opposing views that continue to play a fundamental role in today's politics and economics. "The Big Three in Economics" traces the turbulent lives and battle of ideas of the three most influential economists in world history: Adam Smith, representing laissez faire; Karl Marx, reflecting the radical socialist model; and John Maynard Keynes, symbolizing big government and the welfare state. Each view has had a significant influence on shaping the modern world, and the book traces the development of each philosophy through the eyes of its creator. In the twenty-first century, Adam Smith's "invisible hand" model has gained the upper hand, and capitalism appears to have won the battle of ideas over socialism and interventionism. But author Mark Skousen shows that, even in the era of globalization and privatization, Keynesian and Marxian ideas continue to play a significant role in economic policy.

"Michael Masterson has personally helped more people achieve financial independence than anyone else I know. He has been a valuable mentor in my own life. Michael's credentials go far beyond the fact that he is an extremely successful businessman. (There are thousands of those.) He has a unique gift for discerning?and explaining in easily accessible terms?what it really takes to succeed. Automatic Wealth for Grads will give any young person a tremendous headstart for achieving their financial and professional goals at a very young age." ? Justin Ford, author of Seeds of Wealth: An Incredible Wealth-Building Plan for Your Children and Editor of Main Street Millionaire "Only time will tell whether you will have the guts and honor to follow Masterson's masterful plan. Good luck!" ? From the foreword by Mark Skousen, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University, 2004-05 and Benjamin Franklin Chair of Management, Grantham University Organized around proven wealth-creating principles, this invaluable guide reveals powerful techniques and strategies that have personally worked for Michael Masterson as well as for the many people he's helped become wealthy and successful. Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Automatic Wealth for Grads will show you how to: Choose a great career, get your first job, and rise to the top of your fieldContinuously increase your income on a fast-track basis, and get the biggest raises of your lifeProfit from the real estate market?even in today's uncertain marketStart or gain equity in a business that will provide an automatic future income streamInvest in the stock market, save money on taxes, make purchases that appreciate, reduce your credit costs, and achieve financial independence while you are still young enough to enjoy your money

Economics is full of puzzles and paradoxes that often frustrate and challenge everyone, including economists. This engaging book includes fifty puzzles and focuses on three types of paradox. First, everyday observations that appear to belie common sense (such as, why do some supermarket items sell for more per ounce in larger sizes?). Secondly, those paradoxes which have perplexed economists in the past but have since been fairly resolved (such as, the diamond-water paradox). Finally, empirical or conceptual anomalies that remain unresolved and present a challenge to today's economists (such as the voting paradox). Fifty puzzles and paradoxes are analysed in a clear framework. Examples include: the fairness of market wages, the alleged gold absurdity, Giffin goods and the Irish potato famine, the paradox of thrift, the supposed perversity of Wall Street, the leisure paradox, why the best Washington apples are shipped out of state (the Alchian-Allen theorem), the question of whether teachers are underpaid, whether studying economics makes people immoral and whether war is good for the economy. This original and unusual book will have a wide appeal, ranging from the lay person with an interest in everyday economic puzzles, to the student and teacher wishing to develop their understanding of some of the paradoxes that have existed and continue to exist in economics. It will serve as an ideal source for teachers who want to challenge their students with unusual economic problems.