Imagine that a nation like the US were run like a corporation. To live (and vote) here, you'd have to own a share. You could sell your share and leave, and foreigners could come if they bought a share. The corporate management would be given financial incentives to maximize the market value of these shares. They could issue more shares if these new shares were handed out to previous share holders in proportion to the shares they currently hold.
What would go wrong or right with running the US this way? Would management focus too much on making immigrants happy, versus people already here who are reluctant to leave? Would there be too many or two few people here? Would government spending increase or decrease? Would we get less desirable immigrants, relative to picking and choosing among applicants? Would the homeless prefer to cash out and leave, rather than stay and beg here? Would people tend to leave when they retire? Robin Hanson [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hanson.gmu.edu Asst. Prof. Economics, George Mason University MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444 703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
