While the prices of most consumer goods have (roughly) doubled since the mid-1980s, college textbook prices have increased six-fold. In his latest See Thru Edu article, George Leef argues that the best solution to sky-high textbook prices is to free the textbook market and end government subsidization of higher education, which has drastically lowered students’ and parents’ price sensitivity.

“Imagine how different things would be if students spent their own money (or money their families had saved). They would insist on maximizing the value for their dollars and in turn that would lead schools and professors to be mindful of expenses ranging from fancy frills on campus to exorbitantly priced textbooks,” writes Leef.