Free Market
Author:
Jude Blanchette
Online Publish Date:
The Free Market 21, no. 2 (February 2003) In his essay “A Chinese Tale,” Frédéric Bastiat puts a far eastern spin on his “Broken Window Fallacy.” In it, Bastiat writes of two ancient Chinese cities, Chin and Chan, connected by a “magnificent canal.” The Chinese emperor decides to have blocks thrown into the canal to interrupt trade and travel.