June 2010

Overfishing and the Impending Collapse of Fisheries

Lynne Kiesling Why is it so difficult, in terms of politics and transaction costs, to define and enforce property rights in fish? If we fail to do so, some important fish species are likely to go extinct due to overfishing, such as the bluefin tuna. Migratory fish like the bluefin pose the biggest policy challenges, …

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Long Distance Electric Power Transmission in 1889

Michael Giberson Alexis Madrigal, writing for WIRED’s This Day in Tech on June 3, gives us, “Power Flows Long Distance.” 1889: The first long-distance transmission of electricity takes place, linking a powerhouse at Willamette Falls to a string of lights in Portland, Oregon, 14 miles to the west. The power lines stretching from the hydroelectric …

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Is a Post-disaster Building Permit Fee Increase an Example of Price Gouging?

Michael Giberson After a severe thunderstorm pelted The Village, Oklahoma with “golf ball- to grapefruit-size hail,” leaving almost all of the 5000 or so homes in the town in need of roof and other repairs, the city council voted to increase the cost of a building permit from $110 to $150. A couple of folks …

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