Monthly Archives: February 2018

Life expectancy slowdown

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Tyler Cowen cites a study that says that the rate at which life expectancy at birth (LEB) is increasing has slowed down. This does not surprise me. Suppose that there are two outcomes. One outcome is that you live to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics of Health Care, Tyler Cowen is my Favorite Blogger | 9 Comments

New Russ Roberts video on income distribution statistics

Posted on February 5, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Here is part 2 of his series. The video tries to make clear the flaws in comparing the income of the median household in, say, 1970, with that of the median household today. In very important respects, they are not … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic education and methods | 2 Comments

The Stock Market: narrower, deeper, older?

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Check out two abstracts of papers by Rene Stulz and others. Eclipse of the Public Corporation or Eclipse of the Public Markets? Since reaching a peak in 1997, the number of listed firms in the U.S. has fallen in every … Continue reading →

Posted in business economics | 6 Comments

The supply is too damn low (housing)

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Edward Glaeser and Joseph Gyourko write, Empirical investigations of the local costs and benefits of restricting building generally conclude that the negative externalities are not nearly large enough to justify the costs of regulation. Adding the costs from substitute building … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Too little price discrimination?

Posted on February 3, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Timothy Taylor writes, Imagine yourself as the profit-seeking owner of a chain of retail stores. Would you charge the same (or nearly the same) price across all the stores? Or would you vary prices according to average income level of … Continue reading →

Posted in business economics, Timothy Taylor is my Favorite Blogger | 20 Comments

McArdle’s Rules for Life

Posted on February 3, 2018 by Arnold Kling

She writes (among other suggestions), Always order one extra dish at a restaurant, an unfamiliar one. You might like it, which would be splendid. If you don’t like it, all you lost was a couple of bucks. …Go to the … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral economics, business economics | 4 Comments

A moonshot to overthrow neoclassical economics

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Tyler Cowen gave me an idea. He described his personal moonshot. He wrote, My goal is to be the economist who has most successfully used the internet as a platform to foment broad enlightenment. He elaborates on this, creating a … Continue reading →

Posted in links to my essays, Specialization and Trade Economics Intro, Tyler Cowen is my Favorite Blogger | 6 Comments

Jordan Peterson and other public intellectuals

Posted on February 2, 2018 by Arnold Kling

David Brooks writes, In his videos, he analyzes classic and biblical texts, he eviscerates identity politics and political correctness and, most important, he delivers stern fatherly lectures to young men on how to be honorable, upright and self-disciplined — how … Continue reading →

Posted in David Brooks, Three-Axes Model, Tyler Cowen is my Favorite Blogger | 75 Comments

Blockchain and property rights

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Arnold Kling

Phil Gramm and Hernando de Soto write, Fortunately there is a new technology that could make a global property-rights registration system feasible. Patrick Byrne, an e-commerce pioneer and the CEO of Overstock.com, has committed a professional staff and significant resources … Continue reading →

Posted in technology and the future | 11 Comments

Three axes in National Affairs

Posted on February 1, 2018 by Arnold Kling

I could not help but think “three-axes model” when I read Strangled by Identity, by Rishabh Bhandari and Thomas Hopson. American politics features three concepts of identity, but Americans are rarely clear-eyed about how these differ and disagree. Ethnic identitarians … Continue reading →

Posted in Three-Axes Model | 3 Comments