Monthly Archives: January 2013

The Three Axes and Drug Prohibition

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Arnold Kling

In a conversation with Russ Roberts, Becky Pettit says educational inequality has become so dramatic that among young black men who have dropped out of high school, a huge fraction of them, upwards of 2/3, can expect to spend at … Continue reading →

Posted in Three-Axes Model | 2 Comments

The Capital of the Empire

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Arnold Kling

From Deborah Nelson and Himanshu Ojha The top 5 percent of households in Washington, D.C., made more than $500,000 on average last year, while the bottom 20 percent earned less than $9,500 – a ratio of 54 to 1. …Two … Continue reading →

Posted in income distribution-wealth-poverty, public choice | Comments Off

The Un-Malling of America

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Arnold Kling

Jeff Jordan writes, Hundreds of malls will soon need to be repurposed or demolished. Strong malls will stay strong for a while, as retailers are willing to pay for traffic and customers from failed malls seek offline alternatives, but even … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth Causes and Consequences, links to my essays, Tyler Cowen is my Favorite Blogger | 1 Comment

Book Recommendations from Jason Collins

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Arnold Kling

He recommends six that he read in 2012, including The Righteous Mind and Thinking Fast and Slow. One of his recommendations is a book from 2002, Paul Rubin’s Darwinian Politics, about which Collins posted a review. Rubin’s basic position is … Continue reading →

Posted in books and book reviews | Comments Off

The Task of Persuasion

Posted on January 5, 2013 by Arnold Kling

Bob Higgs writes, once the libertarian has persuaded someone that government interference is wrong, at least in a certain realm, if not across the board, there is a much smaller probability of that convert’s backsliding into his former support for … Continue reading →

Posted in Libertarian Thought, Three-Axes Model, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Unpacking the Term “Probability”

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Arnold Kling

My new essay on probability concludes: Producers and consumers live in a world of non-repeatable events…Treating probabilities as if they were objective is a conceptual error. It is analogous to the conceptual errors that treat value as objective…We will be … Continue reading →

Posted in statistical methods | 11 Comments

Searchers vs. Planners

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Arnold Kling

Dana Goldstein reports, In 2008, four Harvard and MIT graduate students studying developing-world economics decided to form their own giving circle. The research literature on anti-poverty aid was discouraging. In India, an estimated 50 to 60 cents of every government … Continue reading →

Posted in income distribution-wealth-poverty, Libertarian Thought, Tyler Cowen is my Favorite Blogger | Comments Off

Thoughts on Newtown and Political Authority

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Arnold Kling

Some thoughts on the school shooting. 1. I think that the three axes serve to predict reactions fairly well. Libertarians, concerned with freedom vs. coercion, are skeptical of adding to government power in an attempt to prevent school shootings. Conservatives, … Continue reading →

Posted in Libertarian Thought, Three-Axes Model | 10 Comments

What is a Charitable Contribution?

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Arnold Kling

Robert Shiller writes, We trust one another, and not just the government, to make important decisions and to take action. Self-reliant does not mean selfish: while it is important that we manage our personal finances responsibly, we also have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Libertarian Thought, Mark Thoma is Indispensable | 4 Comments

Ideology and Views of Human Nature

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Arnold Kling

Dan Kahan writes, Measures of ideology of the sort that I have used here have not – as far as I know; please do tell me if I’m wrong: the pleasure of learning something new will more than compensate me … Continue reading →

Posted in Three-Axes Model | 8 Comments