Marian Tupy

Notable Quotes

"After analyzing the prices of hundreds of commodities spanning two centuries, we found that resources became more abundant as the population grew."

from The affordability debate: Are things getting cheaper or more expensive? · Updated Jan 30

"Progress is not guaranteed. What we are saying is that looking back at human history, humanity has accomplished a lot of wonderful things, but there is no guarantee that we will continue to do so into the future."

from The 99% drop: how humanity became almost disaster-proof · Updated Jan 22

Stories

The centuries-long retreat from working through the night

Built World

Senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity

For most of human history, nightfall meant the end of productive labor. The industrial revolution and the electric lightbulb reversed that arrangement, turning overnight factory shifts into a pillar of modern manufacturing. But a quieter reversal has been underway for decades: the share of workers toiling through the night has been falling steadily across wealthy nations, driven by labor regulations, mounting health evidence, and machines that can run in the dark without human hands.

Updated Feb 28

The affordability debate: Are things getting cheaper or more expensive?

Money Moves

Leading proponent of 'superabundance' theory

For decades, economists have argued over whether life is getting more affordable. A new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2000 to 2025 shows that while the Consumer Price Index rose 92.6%, average hourly wages climbed 131.1%—meaning workers can buy 20% more goods today for the same hours worked. The finding rests on measuring 'time prices': not what things cost in dollars, but how many hours of labor it takes to afford them.

Updated Jan 30

The 99% drop: how humanity became almost disaster-proof

New Capabilities

Active researcher

In the 1920s, natural disasters killed an average of 500,000 people per year. Today, with four times the global population, that number has dropped to roughly 45,000—a 99% decline in the per-capita death rate. The transformation happened not through divine intervention or luck, but through a century of investment in weather satellites, building codes, early warning networks, and agricultural science that turned existential threats into manageable emergencies.

Updated Jan 22