Entries by jamesz

New blogger: Acemoglu

February 29, 2012 /2 Comments/in /by

Daron Acemoglu has a new book out with James Robinson–the catchily titled Why Nations Fail–and they have a blog to support it. Add it to your reader because, seriously, Daron Acemoglu daily in your inbox: what’s not to like!?

Behavioural prejudices

February 29, 2012 /6 Comments/in /by

Eric has a post up in which he criticises behavioural economics: Behavioural economics usually leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Too much of it just feels like …it was done in the 50s and 60s. Essentially, his problem with the field appears to be that its results are often used to rationalise paternalism. I […]

Larry Summers: revealed brilliance

February 24, 2012 /14 Comments/in /by

If you’re not an economist you may not have heard of Larry Summers. He’s the nephew of Paul Samuleson and Kenneth Arrow, and has himself received the John Bates Clark medal, been president of Harvard university, Chief Economist of the World Bank, Secretary of the Treasury for Clinton, and Director of the National Economic Council […]

Greece: party like it’s 1999

February 24, 2012 /1 Comment/in /by

The Economist estimates how far back the GFC has set various economies: They’ve used GDP, consumption, wages, stockmarket indices, house prices, wealth and unemployment to calculate that single index. I really like the concept as a way of showing the effect of the crisis to people who aren’t familiar with macroeconomic statistics, but I wonder […]

Cuts at MFAT need some context

February 23, 2012 in , /by

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) has today announced that over 300 jobs will be cut. As Phil Goff says, these job losses “…represent one in four Ministry employees”, so there is no doubt that they will hugely affect the Ministry’s capacity; however, the dramatic changes in capacity that will ensue […]

Will the pseudoephedrine ban reduce P availability?

February 23, 2012 /6 Comments/in , /by

Oregon made pseudoephedrine-based cold medicines prescription-only back in 2006. A new report on the effectiveness in reducing the availability of P concludes: Oregon’s experience with methamphetamine manufacture and abuse since 2006 does not stand out from its neighbors or other parts of the United States. This potentially calls into question whether Oregon’s Rx-only law had […]