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Robert P. Murphy

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For other people named Robert Murphy, see Robert Murphy (disambiguation).
Robert P. Murphy
Born (1976-05-23) May 23, 1976 (age 48)
United States
Academic career
FieldFinancial Economics, Trade
InstitutionFree Market Institute of Texas Tech University
(2014–present)
Fraser Institute
(2013–present)
Pacific Research Institute
(2007–present)
Hillsdale College
(2003–2006)
Ludwig Von Mises Institute
(2003–present)
School or
tradition		Austrian School
Alma materNew York University (Ph.D.) 2003
Hillsdale College (B.A.) 1998
Websiteconsultingbyrpm.com

Robert Patrick Murphy (born 23 May 1976) is an American economist, consultant and author. He is an economist with the Institute for Energy Research (IER) specializing in climate change[1] and a research fellow with the Independent Institute,[2] He was a senior fellow in business and economic studies at the Pacific Research Institute,[3] and he is a senior fellow at the Ludwig von Mises Institute.[4] In addition to economic subjects, Murphy writes about, and has presented an online video class in, anarcho-capitalism on the Mises Institute website.[5][6]

Murphy is also noteworthy, and has been criticized by economists Brad DeLong and Paul Krugman for, repeatedly predicting that the quantitative easing practiced by the Federal Reserve in the late 2000s would create double-digit inflation and economic collapse—predictions that did not come to fruition.[7] Murphy is a Christian, and has written articles expressing support for a literal interpretation of the Bible and skepticism of evolutionary theory.

Education and affiliations

Murphy received a BA in economics at Hillsdale College in 1998 and a Ph.D. in economics at New York University in 2003.[1] As explained by the Free Market Institute (FMI) website, "In his role as a research assistant professor with the FMI, Dr. Murphy contributes original research to the Institute's ongoing research program, Research on the Origins of Economic Freedom and Prosperity, and works closely with FMI graduate research assistants on their efforts to develop original research.".[8] Before to his employment at Texas Tech University, he was a visiting Assistant Professor at Hillsdale College, a visiting scholar at New York University, a Research Analyst at Laffer Associates, and a senior Fellow with the Pacific Research Institute.[9] He is a Senior Economist with the Institute for Energy Research (IER) specializing in climate change[1] and a research fellow with the Independent Institute,[2] He is an associated scholar at the Ludwig von Mises Institute,[4] and a Senior Fellow with the Fraser Institute in Canada[10]

He also is the president of Consulting By RPM, where he specializes in economic analysis for a lay audience.[1] [9] [10] In addition to economic subjects, Murphy writes about and has presented an online video class on an introduction to anarcho-capitalism, made available through Ludwig von Mises Institute website.[11][6] Murphy discussed climate change and energy-related topics, on behalf of IER, in testimony before a US Congressional committee.[12][13][14][15]

Publications

Murphy has written and co-written multiple books. His most recently published book is Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action (Independent Institute, 2015).[8] He also co-authored Primal Prescription with Doug McGuff, MD regarding healthcare in the United States.[16] He wrote a textbook for junior high students titled Lessons for the Young Economist (Mises Institute 2010), which is offered free of charge.[17]

Murphy has also written numerous works for lay audiences, including study guides to works of Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard.[1] Murphy is author of the 2007 book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism. Murphy's Mises Institute colleague[18] Gene Epstein wrote in Barron's Magazine that "Murphy makes a compelling case for the unfettered free market, or what his intellectual antagonists would call "free-market fundamentalism", but writes Murphy is sometimes too irreverent.[19] Murphy's book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal, published in 2009, blamed the Depression on government policies.[20][neutrality is disputed]

Additionally, Murphy has written for The Washington Times,[21] Forbes[22] and Barron's Magazine.[23] Murphy's writings have also been published in The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, The Review of Austrian Economics,[1] the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics[24] and the Journal of Private Enterprise.[25] He has written for The Freeman,[26] The American Conservative[27] and LewRockwell.com.[28] He previously wrote a column for both Townhall.com[29] and Antiwar.com.[30]

Contra Krugman

In 2015, Murphy began Contra Krugman, a weekly podcast, with New York Times Best-Selling author and historian Thomas Woods that critiques The New York Times columns of economist Paul Krugman. The podcasts seek to teach economics "by uncovering and dissecting the errors of Krugman."[31][32]

Erroneous inflation predictions

Murphy has been criticized by economists Brad DeLong and Paul Krugman for predicting that the quantitative easing practiced by the Federal Reserve in the late 2000s would create hyperinflation and economic ruin—predictions that have not come to fruition yet.[7] In 2009, Murphy discussed various economic policies of the Bush and Obama administrations, which he called "incredible assaults on the private sector from the central government". He stated that the policies of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and President Obama would lead to double-digit inflation with high unemployment and could facilitate the abandonment of the US Dollar by the end of the Obama Presidency. Murphy warned that soaring prices for gasoline and imported products sold at Wal-Mart might be blamed by Obama Administration officials on "an attack on the Dollar by foreign speculators" and used by them to replace the Dollar with the Amero or some other currency "issued by a supranational organization". Murphy urged investors to purchase an "emergency stockpile" of physical gold and silver, and predicted double-digit inflation.[33] In July 2009, Murphy proclaimed that the economy would be "in the toilet for a decade" and predicted "20+ percent price inflation."[34]

In a series of articles on his personal website, Murphy states that he agreed to a bet that there would be a year/year increase in the seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index of over 10% by 2013, and notes that he lost the bet.[34]

In a column criticizing economists "who stick with their ideology no matter how badly it performs in practice", Paul Krugman noted that University of California, Berkeley Professor of Economics J. Bradford DeLong had attacked Murphy for "predicting double-digit inflation for years but remain[ing] absolutely committed to his framework" despite the predictions being unfulfilled.[35] In December 2012 Krugman again addressed Murphy's failed inflation predictions, criticizing Murphy's belief that "his failed inflation forecast is OK" because it is attributable to "huge deflationary downdraft that offset the inflationary impact of Fed expansion." Krugman wrote that if that was true, "we should be hailing Ben Bernanke for preventing a catastrophic deflation."[36] Murphy replied on his blog to Krugman and DeLong's criticisms, saying "my price inflation wager has nothing to do with Austrian business cycle theory" and that Krugman was using a "macro model" which does not apply to Austrian theory which relies on "heterogeneous capital goods" and artificially low interest rates distortion of investment flows into various sectors. He admitted he was not sure why his inflation prediction was wrong.[37] In a May 2013 piece published by The American Conservative, Murphy wrote about Krugman's predictions regarding fiscal austerity and the 2013 U.S. government budget sequestration.[38]

In 2013 Murphy challenged Krugman to a debate and unnamed supporters of Murphy promised to donate $100,000 to a charity if Krugman would debate Murphy on economic policy issues.[39] A promotional website was established for the challenge. Krugman called the proposed debate a "public circus" and stated "Why should I dignify that totally-wrong doctrine — that doctrine that's gotten everything wrong — by giving them a platform?"[40][41]

Foreign policy and maintaining an empire

In addition to opposing the War in Iraq,[42] Murphy has been critical of neoconservatives and their interventionist foreign policy views,[43] especially their views on economics.[44]

In 2008 Murphy wrote in a column, in response to Michael Kinsley on libertarianism, that "we shouldn't trust the government with military affairs after the Bush administration."[45] In 2014 Murphy wrote that "if Americans want a free society at home, then they must convince the U.S. government to give up its global empire." He goes on to state that the current aggressive U.S. foreign policy has been destructive to domestic liberties and concludes that "if you allow your government to maintain an empire abroad, then you can't possibly expect a free and open society at home."[46] In 2017 Murphy made the case that "a free society will be far more defensible than a state-controlled analog, and by its very nature may avoid military conflict altogether because peaceful solutions are much more efficient."[47]

Skepticism of Evolution

In two LewRockwell.com articles entitled "Well, I'll be a Monkey's Nephew" and "More Monkey Business", Murphy expressed skepticism about evolution, in particular the claims of biologist Douglas J. Futuyma. Futuyma makes the statement "How has Darwin’s challenge fared? No one has ever found a case of a species altruistically serving another, without any gain for itself."[48] Murphy argues that he can point to examples of human beings which disprove this claim. Murphy later disclaims, "To clarify, I am not saying that my examples refute Darwin's argument. I am claiming that my examples refute the much bolder claims of Futuyma in the block quotation."[49][50]

Religious views

Murphy is a Christian, and has stated in his writings that "my ethical beliefs are informed by my Christian faith, and I am a firm believer in natural law."[51]

Books

  • Chaos Theory (2002) – Two essays on market anarchy; one discussing the production of defense services, and the other describing the provision of private criminal and civil justice.
  • The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism (2007) – A volume in The Politically Incorrect Guide series published by Regnery Publishing. ISBN 978-1596985049 OCLC 79860752
  • The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal (2009). ISBN 978-1596980969 OCLC 315239348
  • How Privatized Banking Really Works – Integrating Austrian Economics with the Infinite Banking Concept (2010) co-written with L. Carlos Lara. ISBN 978-0615326825
  • Lessons for the Young Economist (2010) – available at Mises.org Library and Mises.org wiki. ISBN 978-1933550886 OCLC 681711737
  • Economic Principles for Prosperity (2014). Fraser Institute. Co-authored with Jason Clemens, Milagros Palacios, and Niels Velduis.
  • The Primal Prescription (2015) – Co-authored with Dough McGuff, MD. The authors utilize their expertise in economics and medicine to examine America's health care system.
  • Choice: Cooperation, Enterprise, and Human Action (July 1, 2015 – A concise retelling of the magnum opus of Ludwig Von Mises, Human Action.
  • Murphy, Robert P. (2018). Contra Krugman: Smashing the Errors of America's Most Famous Keynesian. Paul, Ron (foreword);Woods, Thomas E. (preface). ISBN 978-1722331795.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Robert P. Murphy profile, Institute for Energy Research, accessed December 9, 2013,
  2. ^ a b Robert P. Murphy profile, Independent Institute, accessed December 5, 2013.
  3. ^ http://www.pacificresearch.org/home/contact/scholars/robert-p-murphy-phd/
  4. ^ a b Robert P. Murphy profile at Ludwig von Mises Institute, accessed December 5, 2013.
  5. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Learn Anarcho-Capitalism Online, Mises Daily, July 24, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Robert P. Murphy, But Wouldn't Warlords Take Over?, Mises Daily, July 7, 2005.
  7. ^ a b Reason
  8. ^ a b https://www.depts.ttu.edu/freemarketinstitute/people/murphy.php
  9. ^ University, State of Texas and Texas Tech. "Free Market Institute – Our People – Robert Murphy, Ph.D." www.depts.ttu.edu. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  10. ^ "Robert P. Murphy". Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  11. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Learn Anarcho-Capitalism Online, Mises Daily, July 24, 2012.
  12. ^ Climate Change: Robert P. Murphy, Congressional Testimony, July 18, 2013, Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., accessed via Highbeam
  13. ^ Oil Prices and the Weak Dollar: Robert P. Murphy, Congressional Testimony, July 24, 2008, Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., accessed via Highbeam
  14. ^ Impact of Federal Reserve Policies on Gas Prices:robert P. Murphy, Congressional Testimony, May 25, 2011, Federal Document Clearing House, Inc., accessed via Highbeam.
  15. ^ Written Testimony of Robert P. Murphy, Senior Economist, Institute for Energy Research, Before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works On the Matter of "The 'Social Cost of Carbon': Some Surprising Facts" July 18, 2013; Senate Committee website accessed December 8, 2013.
  16. ^ "The Primal Prescription". 2015-05-21. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  17. ^ "Lessons for the Young Economist". 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  18. ^ "Senior Fellows, Faculty Members, and Staff." Mises.org
  19. ^ Epstein, Gene (9 July 2007). "Nine Good Reasons to Hit the Beach". Barron's Magazine.
  20. ^ Raymond J. Keating, "Book review: The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal", The Freeman, December 22, 2010.
  21. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Are Real Economists Bears?, The Washington Times, February 19, 2010, accessed via Questia Online Library.
  22. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Memo To The Fed: Stop Those Rate Cuts, Forbes, March 16, 2008.
  23. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Capitalism is validated by "mechanism-design" theory, Barron's Magazine, May 12, 2008
  24. ^ Resumé/CV, Robert P. Murphy website, accessed December 6, 2013.
  25. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Coordination: A Critique of Daniel Klein, The Journal of Private Enterprise, 25(2), 2010, 117–127 (117).
  26. ^ Robert P. Murphy archives at The Freeman website.
  27. ^ Robert P. Murphy archives at The American Conservative website.
  28. ^ Robert P. Murphy archives at LewRockwell.com.
  29. ^ Robert Murphy columns archive, Townhall.com, accessed December 6, 2013.
  30. ^ Robert Murphy column archive, Antiwar.com.
  31. ^ Voices of Liberty
  32. ^ http://contrakrugman.com/
  33. ^ Robert P. Murphy, "Killing the Currency", The American Conservative, December 10, 2009.
  34. ^ a b Murphy, Robert P. (January 2, 2013). "Learning from Brad DeLong and Paul Krugman."
  35. ^ "Is Our Austerians Learning?". New York Times. December 30, 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  36. ^ Paul Krugman, On Not Learning, Continued, New York Times, December 31, 2012.
  37. ^ Learning From Brad DeLong and Paul Krugman, Robert P. Murphy blog, January 2, 2013.
  38. ^ Robert P. Murphy, Heads Krugman Wins, Tails ‘Austerity’ Loses, The American Conservative, May 23, 2013.
  39. ^ Carney, John (October 25, 2010). "Will Paul Krugman be Shamed Into Debating an Austrian Economics Wunderkind?". CNBC website. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  40. ^ Lehrer, Brian (June 4, 2012). "The Brian Lehrer Show: Paul Krugman Weighs In."
  41. ^ Krugmandebate.com
  42. ^ https://www.mises.org/library/critique-invasion-iraq
  43. ^ https://www.mises.org/library/yellow-journalism-weekly-standard
  44. ^ https://www.mises.org/library/david-frum-neoconservative-new-dealer
  45. ^ https://www.mises.org/library/correcting-kinsley-libertarianism
  46. ^ https://original.antiwar.com/robert_murphy/2014/08/29/a-free-society-must-give-up-empire/
  47. ^ http://libertarianpapers.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/post/2017/09/lp-9-2-3-1.pdf
  48. ^ Futuyma, D. (1983). Science on Trial (p. 123). N.p.: Sinauer Associates
  49. ^ Murphy, Robert P (September 20, 2003). "Well, I'll be a Monkey's Nephew." LewRockwell.com
  50. ^ Murphy, Robert P (November 24, 2003). "More Monkey Business." LewRockwell.com
  51. ^ Murphy, Robert P. "The Possibility of Private Law." Mises.org. 3 August 2005.
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