Turning Waste into a Productive Input in Vermont
Here is a nice case study in the New York Times telling the story of how one maple syrup "farmer" converted his production process such that his energy source is now french fry grease.
Candid Camera? Shame and Ostracism and Drunk Golfers
Golfers gone wild. Let's see if this lady becomes rich selling her videos! As information technology declines in price, more citizens will be able to collect evidence such as these video tapes.
Why all the heightened interest in global warming? Salient Events and Bayes Rule or Social Interactions
What is your theory for why more folks are talking about climate change as a "real"
issue than in the recent past? Is Al Gore a causal homogenous treatement effect? Or was this winter too warm relative to the recent past and this has convinced you that "things have changed"? Or, are your friends ta
Glaeser on Housing Supply Limits and Regional Growth Trends
Earth Day is here. Where would a green "benevolent" planner seeking to enhance environmental sustainability place 300 million Americans? All in St. Louis? All in Santa Monica? Ed Glaeser is trying to start a policy discussion on the larger consequences of differential housing supply regulation.
A Cage Match Between Sheryl Crow and Karl Rove over Climate Change Policy
All Sheryl Crow wanted to do was have some fun --- do you feel pity for Karl Rove? This recounting of their "Lincoln-Douglas" debate is fun reading. If this version is correct, then I think that Ms. Crow won this round.
Light Rail Transit Success in Utah?
This article offers a case study of "new urbanists" benefiting from access to a
new rail transit line that allows them to ditch the auto lifestyle.
The Political Economy of "Greening" New York City Over the Next 30 Years
Mike Bloomberg is an unusual Republican. Most politicians do not have such a long run perspective.
Is Ethanol a "Green" Fuel?
Perhaps professors are useful people. Mark Jacobson at Stanford appears to be
working on an interesting issue with public policy consequences. I haven't read
his real research paper (the link is at the bottom of this blog entry) but I plan
to.
Replication in Economics
It is Hammer's time. Here is part of the intro from Dan Hamermesh's new paper titled "Replication in Economics" http://papers.nber.org/papers/w13026.pdf
1.
The Power of Green?
Tom Friedman fumbled the ball in his long piece today in the NYT Magazine (see
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/magazine/15green.t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin).
Green Tradeoffs: Importing "Renewable Power" Through Valuable Natural Capital Hotbeds
In the Cape Cod area in the Northeast, Ted Kennedy managed to come out against wind power turbines in his backyard. This green technology would be an eyesore. Now the same issue is taking place on the west coast.
The Fiscal Strain Imposed by Suburban "Smart Growth"
This is a funny case study of the cost of success. If I'm reading this article correctly, Washington Township has designed a relatively high density new community.
Urban Poverty and Crime: Contrasting Boston and Mumbai, India
The Harvard Crimson is a better newspaper than the New York Times. At least, I learn more from the Crimson.
Where Should Sex Offenders Live? NIMBY Effects in Miami Place them Under a Bridge
All of us face locational decisions. Given our income and tastes and housing prices in the city we live in, what is the best house for you? Convicted sex offenders face a more "constrained" problem that by law they must live at least 2500 feet from schools.
Stanford's Faculty Senate's 2006 Debate on How Green is Golf?
Universities are thinking about how to be "sustainability leaders". First, they need to define what these words actually mean. Then, each must come up with a plan.
Building a Climate Change Mitigation Coalition: State by State
This article has some interesting political economy insights into how to build a coalition to get a majority of the Senate to want to sign some greenhouse gas mitigation bill. The article hints that states endowed with coal will need to be encouraged to "play ball" here.
The Benefits of Price Discrimination
At the University of Chicago, Sherwin Rosen told his students that discrimination was to treat different people the same. I always thought that this was a distinctive definition. Too often in market capitalism, this type of discrimination exists. Consider auto insurance.
Credible Commitment and Climate Change Mitigation Investment
The Supreme Court's carbon dioxide ruling sends a credible message to electric utilities, car makers and other sources of greenhouse gases that the "price" of polluting will soon rise.
Free Market Environmentalism and a Competition to Build a 100 MPG Viable Car
Endogenous technological change is quite a mouthful but David Warsh has sold many copies of his book that focuses on the intellectual history of this idea. I hope that Paul Romer likes that book.
Only in Los Angeles: UCLA Basketball and Ice Cube's Red Carpet Premier
UCLA is an upscale place. Last night, I watched the first half of the UCLA/Florida game at a fancy restaurant. Rick Fox, the actor, was sitting at the bar being distracted by drunk dudes who couldn't believe it was him and wanted Fox to talk to their friends by cell phone.
