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Josh Barro

What Josh Barro thinks about Europe

@josh-barro · 22 positions · 0 changes of mind

Writes Very Serious, a newsletter on politics, the economy and culture.

Everything they publish, on ppll ↗

Josh Barro did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

3 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Josh Barro has said — not written or endorsed by them.

3 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

  1. Our readingEuropean countries are wealthy enough to afford widespread air conditioning, comparable to Japan.

    Japan

    Their wordsEurope is not actually poor. Japan is about as wealthy as Europe, and almost all Japanese homes are air-conditioned. Europeans could afford to air-condition their homes (and their hospitals!) just like the Japanese do.

    ↗Europe Needs Air Conditioningjoshbarro.com 1st of 3 in this piece

  3. Our readingSome European leftists oppose comforts like air conditioning on political grounds, in effect favoring hardship over comfort.

    Their wordsEuropean leftists explicitly advocate that people should be kept poor, uncomfortable, and literally sweating.

    ↗Europe Needs Air Conditioningjoshbarro.com 2nd of 3 in this piece

  5. Our readingAmerican overregulation and labor-market rigidity make elevators far more common in Europe than in the US.

    AI and jobsAmerica

    Their wordselevators are the rare part of the economy where Europeans have embraced market dynamism while Americans choose overregulation and labor market rigidity.

    ↗Europe Needs Air Conditioningjoshbarro.com 3rd of 3 in this piece