Another day, another case of firefighters letting a house burn because the owner didn’t subscribe to fire service. I wrote about this before in the context of pay-for-service ambulances, and what I’m beginning to realize is that, well, everyone is wrong. Here’s a summary of what I’ve been hearing on the fire department [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Policy'
Public Versus Private Is Not The Same As Smart Versus Stupid…
December 8th, 2011 · 20 Comments
Buyer Beware · Markets · Policy
Tags: Buyer Beware · Markets · Policy
Good News For Economists And Libertarians, Bad News For Mr. Ed…
December 1st, 2011 · 14 Comments
Markets · Policy
Q: What do selling kidneys, tossing dwarfs, and eating horses have in common?
A: I don’t know- let’s ask Professor Al Roth.
Unfair. Undignified. Inappropriate, unprofessional, distasteful—and most of all, repugnant.
To the wonder and surprise of Alvin E. Roth, a Harvard economist, these harsh words are often hoisted to describe an important task of his: [...]
The Latest From The “Life Isn’t Fair” Department, Beauty Pays Edition…
November 27th, 2011 · 1 Comment
Books · Discrimination · Policy
This was the conversation in my household the other day while watching The Daily Show:
Jason Jones, on TV: We’ve made great strides in eradicating prejudice in this country…but, according to University of Texas economist Daniel Hamermesh, one part of society is still suffering in ways we never imagined…
Me: Ugly people.
Daniel Hamermesh, on TV: Ugly [...]
Tags: Books · Discrimination · Policy
What I’m Reading Today, Teachers Are Overpaid Edition…
November 6th, 2011 · 17 Comments
Education · Markets · Policy
Long time readers may recall the think tank cartoon I posted a while back:
The Heritage Foundation is on the conservative side of this brawl, and I must say that it’s amazing how all of the objective, fact-based research that comes out of these sorts of organizations specifically supports the conservative ideology. (From what I’ve [...]
Tags: Education · Markets · Policy
Grading John Stossel, Volume 1…
September 7th, 2011 · 5 Comments
Econ 101 · Policy
Yep, you read that right. A few weeks ago, I got an invitation to a taping of John Stossel’s show on the Fox Business Channel:
I think my friend thought I would want to come to the show because there were a number of economists as guests, and he wasn’t wrong. The theme of [...]