Lynne Kiesling What horrific events in Japan. I was very sorry to awaken to hear of such devastation, and the videos I’ve seen and the fact that the aftershocks and waves have been almost continuous for the past 12 hours sound completely terrifying. As the tsunami waves rippled out, though, it didn’t take long for …
Another Economic Illiteracy Alert, This One from Larry Summers, Ph.d. Read More »
Lynne Kiesling I know that pointing out the economic illiteracy of politicians is akin to shooting fish in a barrel, but I have an irrationally optimistic hope that shining a light on such illiteracy will help reduce it. Today’s economic illiterate is U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, who in an interview with Ezra Klein …
Economic Illiteracy Alert of the Day: Ag. Secretary Tom Vilsack Read More »
Michael Giberson John Tierney’s column, “When Energy Efficiency Sullies the Environment,” in the New York Times examines the rebound effect and some of the broader consequences of trying to promote conservation through policies inducing energy efficiency. Some of the biggest rebound effects occur when new economic activity results from energy-efficient technologies that reduce the cost …
Michael Giberson Evan Turgeon, a lawyer working for the Cato Institute, has an article on gasoline taxation in the Journal of Land, Resources & Environmental Law: “Triple-Dividends: Toward Pigovian Gasoline Taxation.” The “triple dividends” asserted are benefits to the U.S. domestic economy, the national security outlook, and the environment. In general the idea is that if …
A Triple-Dividend from Pigovian Gasoline Taxation? Read More »
Michael Giberson Clarity in the law is usually deemed a virtue. Groundwater planning processes implemented in Texas a few years ago have led to a few legal fights and the legislature has taken up groundwater law to help clear up some of the confusion. The conflict has arisen when groundwater management districts issue landowners permits …
Lynne Kiesling Mirror neurons have captivated my attention for the past year. Think about the last time you were out walking around and smiling, and you noticed that others who saw you started smiling themselves (this happens to me all the time, is that strange?). Even that simple unconscious mimicry is triggered by our brain’s …
New Working Paper: Mirror Neurons, Adam Smith, and Sympathy Read More »
Lynne Kiesling A concise public choice analysis of the distortionary economic rents created by the ever-increasing “layers” of TSA security theater, as reported today on the Wired gadget blog: Airport “security” theater may be sickeningly pointless, but this stealthy introduction to a police state brings certain commercial advantages to those willing to cash in. First, …
Intrusive Tsa Searches Create Profit Opportunity for Adidas Read More »
Michael Giberson Gasoline consumers in well-off Fairfield County, CT, pay gasoline prices that tend to be higher than prices in the rest of the state. The consumers don’t like it. State legislators representing the region believe the issue is “zone pricing,” a practice by gasoline wholesalers which sets wholesale prices to different levels in different …
Lynne Kiesling Economist and teacher extraordinaire Steve Horwitz has done a great video for Learn Liberty on the question “are we running out of resources?” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcWkN4ngR2Y&feature=player_embedded] We’ve done our share of “peak oil” debunking here over the years, so it won’t surprise you that I find The Onion’s take on the question of running out …
Michael Giberson Craig Pirrong, blogging at Streetwise Professor, posts “Bug or Feature?, or Bootleggers and Baptists Go To Russia.” I have been told by people who were involved in the “gaming industry” in Russia pre-ban that even legal operations had to pay to survive. But “banning” the activity only enhances the authorities’ opportunities for personal …
Streetwise Professor: Bootleggers and Baptists in Russia Read More »
Copyright © 2022 Knowledge Problem Archive