Governments often create incentives they hope will encourage people to act in ways believed to improve social well-being. Poorly structured incentives, however, can foster perverse outcomes, as illustrated in cases regarding pest control, tuberculosis prevention, homelessness, and the recovery of soldier remains in Southeast Asia.
Caleb S. Fuller is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Associate Professor of Economics at Grove City College, and author of No Free Lunch: Six Economic Lies You’ve Been Taught and Probably Believe.
EconomyFDA and Drug RegulationFree Market Economics
Other Independent Review articles by David S. Lucas
Fall 2019 The Homelessness Industry: A Critique of U.S. Social Policy
Winter 2016/17 Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven’t, How We Can