Economics

Efficiency, Conservation, and the Inescapable Jevons Paradox

6 Comments / Books, Economics, Energy markets, Regulation / By

Michael Giberson Given the preponderance of government energy policies aimed at promoting technical efficiency, a careful consideration of the Jevons Paradox is in order. I’ve spent some time this summer reading about William Stanley Jevons, one of the three 19th-century economists co-credited with sparking the marginal revolution, and especially Jevon’s book The Coal Question. Most recently I’ve …

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Manners, Morality, Coordination, and Order

3 Comments / Economics, Liberty / By

Lynne Kiesling Sarah’s post here on manners (including her Freeman essay and Matt Zwolinski’s BHL post) and Mike’s observations on them open up a great discussion about the importance of seemingly superficial informal norms for enabling us to live together and generate civil society. Mike’s absolutely right that the road to anarchy is paved with …

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The Road to Anarchy is Paved with Good Manners

3 Comments / Economics, Law, Liberty / By

Michael Giberson Sarah’s essay on reading and sympathy, explicated a bit in her post here at KP on manners, and Matt Zwolinski’s near contemporaneous remarks on the same topic, recalled to me one of my favorite ideas: the road to anarchy is paved with good manners. I mean “anarchy” in a good way, of course: “anarchy” …

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Dematerialization, Smart Phones, and Smart Grid

5 Comments / Economics, Electricity, Technology / By

Lynne Kiesling Do you have a smart phone? If so, list the functions you use on it: phone, camera, video camera, alarm clock, calculator, notepad, address book, maps, music player, and so on. This list scratches the surface, and your list probably differs from mine. One small device that fulfills many roles, substituting for several …

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Game-industry Market Design Job Openings for Economists

1 Comment / Economics / By

Michael Giberson Buzzfeed columnist Russell Brandom explains, “Economists Are Taking Over the Game Industry: The game industry is hiring a new class of central bankers — but not in time to save Diablo III.” The post links to my earlier post on Diablo’s auction market design. Perhaps in support of Brandom’s title, the current (June 2012) Job …

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Doing What Seems Like It Should Work: Experiments, Tests, and Social Progress

Complexity, Economics, Politics, Science / By

Michael Giberson My title is a little grand, at least the “and social progress,” but maybe it will be justified in some later, more carefully worked out version of the ideas clashing about in my head. As this is a blog, I’m sharing the more immediate, less carefully worked out version. 😉 I’ve been reading …

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Economic Experimentation, Economic Growth, and Regulation

3 Comments / Economics, Regulation / By

Lynne Kiesling For much of the past year I’ve been thinking about experimentation and the role that experimentation plays in economic activity and value creation; my post on Jim Manzi’s book earlier this week is in keeping with my interest in this topic. When I reflect on the processes of value creation and economic change …

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Trademark Protection Gone Wrong, U.s. Olympic Committee Edition

6 Comments / Economics, Knitting / By

Lynne Kiesling The U.S. Olympic Committee is starting to beat the drum for the London 2012 Olympics, 36 days to go! But their long-standing aggressive enforcement of their “Olympic” trademark has alienated an unlikely group of potential Olympics fans and TV viewers: knitters. Yes, knitters (of which I am one). At the knitting social network …

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