So I have to come up with a proposal for a thesis in the not too far future. I have a couple of ideas but I'm not terribly confident of their substance.
One would have to do with the modern propagation of credit cards. Reasons for why this propagation has occured, why it's become such a "problem", and its precise effects on the business cycle. Does anyone know if this has already been investigated pretty thoroughly?
Another is the recent evolution of business calculation and the various future directions it may take.
These are just a couple. I think they're overly broad as of now. Does anyone know if there has already been a fair amount of work in these areas? Do you think they have any potential?
If anyone has any ideas I'd be really grateful to hear them.
http://www.mises.org/story/2706
The above is a good place to start on your first topic:
http://www.marginalrevolution.com/
If it helps too, today's latest subject in the above site is on the credit, savings and the current housing and business cycle issues
The business calculation idea sounds like it has a lot of potential. The tools available for businesses to make calculations are advancing rapidly, leaving government planners in the dust. You might want to start with these web sites:
http://www.esri.com/data/index.html
http://www.buxtonco.com/
Thanks, I appreciate the links!
This is an *excellent* topic. An unexplored thesis is that the introduction of massive amounts of credit by the Federal Reserve system has changed American mores regarding the use of credit. I seriously encourage you to purchase and listen to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University for the devastating critique of credit. He makes a very good case that it shouldn't be used at all by individuals or businesses. As it turns out, this is an old libertarian theme, as well. See Samuel Smiles's books _Self-Help_ and especially _Thrift_. I've written a little piece on this theme here:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/guillory10.html
Really, this is an important and largely untouched area by libertarians. Again, Ramsey cites lots of interesting facts in his FPU course. For instance:
The 1910 Sears catalogue explained that it is folly to buy on credit. Ford Motor Company didn't offer financing on cars until a full 10 years after GM had introduced the practice, because Henry Ford thought it was a bad idea. JCPenney's didn't offer credit in its stores while James (nicknamed "James Cash Penney") Penney was alive, for the same reasons. Sevety-five percent of the Forbes 400 say that the most important factor in becoming wealthy is to become and stay debt-free.