Economics

Klein’s Review of The Wealth of Networks

Lynne Kiesling I like Peter Klein’s review in the Independent Review of Yochai Benkler’s The Wealth of Networks. Apart from giving a good overview of the Benkler work, Peter offers some original insights that are worth thinking about. For example: To ensure open access to the networked economy, Benkler favors a public-ownership network infrastructure, loose …

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Bootleggers and Baptists Alert: Riaa and Radio Broadcasters

Lynne Kiesling Bruce Yandle, call your office — it’s another bootleggers and Baptists alert! This time it’s RIAA and radio broadcasters, who usually are at loggerheads over things like song royalties but have found common cause and joined forces to lobby the FCC to mandate that all mobile devices have an FM receiver implanted in …

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Dynamic Pricing of Street Parking in San Francisco

Lynne Kiesling In all of the discussion this week of Tyler’s NYT column on pricing and constructing lot parking, an innovation in pricing street parking has been overlooked. Under a new pilot project in San Francisco called SFpark, street parking will now be priced using dynamic pricing. According to SFpark’s description, To help achieve the …

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The Economist: (Sing with Me!)”Dave and Nick/are Punk Rockers”

Lynne Kiesling Oh, yes, the old 80s girl in me loves the image on what just came in the mail: And the substance behind their point is equally, well, pointed: Yet within its first 100 days the Con-Lib coalition has emerged as a radical force. For the first time since Margaret Thatcher handbagged the world …

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An Economic Analysis of Comparative Fuel Economy?

Lynne Kiesling Thursday’s Wall Street Journal had an article on airline fuel economy, “A Prius With Wings vs. a Guzzler in the Clouds“, and it presents an analysis that is a good starting point for thinking about an economic comparison of the fuel efficiency of different modes of transportation. The analysis compares the fuel economy …

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Complexity Essay Question from Megan Mcardle

Lynne Kiesling Megan McArdle offers an essay assignment: Pascal Emmanuel-Gobry has an essay question: Tainter’s story goes like this: a group of people, through a combination of social organization and environmental luck, finds itself with a surplus of resources. Managing this surplus makes society more complex–agriculture rewards mathematical skill, granaries require new forms of construction, …

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What the Maryland Psc’s Rejection of Bg&e’s Smart Grid Proposal Reveals About Regulation

Lynne Kiesling Last week the Maryland Public Service Commission rejected Baltimore Gas & Electric’s proposed project to install over 2 million digital electric or gas meters, change the retail electricity rate structure to incorporate time-of-use pricing and peak-time rebates, and recover the meter capital costs through a surcharge on residential retail bills. BG&E’s ambitious and …

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