Environmental and Urban Economics

At $2 a gallon, should I stop writing papers about the Prius? I don't think so. You wouldn't want to read my papers about the financial crisis. I am a fan of creative destruction and would ask the Obama Administration to sit back and let the chips land where they land.

Every sunday morning, we go to the Beverly Hills farmer's market. This is the only driving we do each week (4 miles round trip). At this market, I wonder if famous Hollywood types are walking past me and I don't recognize them.

Spring Break means different things to faculty and students. Since I can't remember what it was like to be a student, I will focus on what faculty do on Spring break. We took our charming son to Joshua Tree National Park . I was counting lizards and spotting a variety of cactus types.

Are economists deep thinkers? In case recent events have made you doubt it, here is example A.

In my humble opinion, the dudes of economics write too many sports papers. Would women journal editors accept these? But, this week's Sports Illustrated reports evidence that will thrill behavioral economists and annoy Milton Friedman and his other bald intellectual grandchildren.

The average home near UCLA sells for $1.3 million dollars. This blog claims that the average home in Detroit is priced at $13,000. So, one can trade 1 Westwood house for 100 Detroit homes.

I know that gas is cheap now and the economy is in recession. Despite these facts, it is still interesting to know where are the "green" geographical clusters of areas where people are buying hybrids.

Here is our interview from last night when Dora and I were interviewed on Australian National Radio. I thought that this was a high quality interview. We did a good job explaining why our book is interesting and what it is actually about.

Yes, this city is living through a drought but if we could find a way to earn just a few more dollars, here is a house that would be worth the price. Check out the swimming pool.

Twenty years from now cross-sectional empirical macroeconomists will benefit from all of the "experiments" that nations are running today as they seek the magic formula for growth. China is entering the game with its own "home improvement" projects. See the China's Big Keynesian Push.

I know that I'm married to a prominent academic but I didn't know that she would make Yahoo News today.

At the end of the week, I hope to make the California newspapers but I will wait and won't count my chickens before they hatch.

While many people may read the NY Times piece today on whether MBA curriculum is still "relevant", I would have you look at these two articles. Solar and the Cities and Chile and Water Markets.

Severin Borenstein has a nice quote in the solar piece.

There are a lot of Matt Kahns on facebook. Given that I don't want these other guys to drag down my good name, I may need to copyright this name to protect myself. I am against those who are against intellectual monopoly.

I try to keep my carbon footprint small by saying "no thanks" to most invites that involve leaving LA. But, here is one that I can't resist; UC Energy Institute's 2009 POWER Conference . Next thursday, I will fly to Berkeley and I'm looking forward to it.

A mere $28 million dollars can get you a nice house in Westwood. This house is currently owned by a famous dude and you would be living within 1 mile of me.

As the NIH and NSF are flooded with new grant proposals by patriotic academics seeking to do their part to jump start our lethargic economy, who will actually read these brilliant grant proposals? What is the social cost of this "excess refereeing"? If new ideas are the key to economic growth, could

Larry Summers needs to credibly signal China that the U.S Keynesian push will either be followed by strong economic growth (raising tax revenue) or that he has the power to reverse this "Big Keynesian G" in 2 years and raise taxes (reducing the budget deficit) so that the U.S doesn't start printing

I enjoyed participating in this discussion. In this recent Radio Interview, I was asked to comment on the market for green convenience shopping and in particular a new Los Angeles store called Locali. http://www.localiyours.com/ .

I am not a macro-economist and I do not play one on TV but the Krugman/Sachs discussion below seems to revolve around why did U.S interest rates get so low and that demand curves slope down. When interest rates were really low (and John Taylor says way too low), we borrowed a heck of lot.

I just stumbled upon this powerpoint slide by the Nobel Laureate Ed Prescott. He writes clearly. I wonder whether he debates any environmental economists at ASU about point #3? This slide refers to three challenges he foresees (in 2006) for the U.S if it wants to keep its economy growing.

As President Obama and his braintrust search for the right "treatments" for reviving this economy, perhaps he should encourage developers to build more homes like this one and then have Chairman Bernanke offer the $ to allow households to purchase such homes.

I've achieved some of my life's goals but today I can check off another one. I have published a letter in the San Diego Tribune. Below, I report letters by Rob Stavins and myself. I must admit that Eric Maskin's NY Times Letter published today is even better.

The New York Times is reporting that the Governor of New York has unilaterally given a waiver to dirty power plants allowing them at zero cost to not have to comply with greenhouse gas mitigation measures; Evidence from New York .

Economists have a fancy word for this; "time inconsistent policy".

A few months ago, the New York Times Arts Section had a picture of Lars Hansen as it discussed the merits of the Milton Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago. Today it quotes David Card on how academic economics evolves over time. These truly are strange days.

Ed Glaeser is a productive man. Here is his new Editorial in the LA Times. I am familiar with the subject. If you'd like to read our academic paper on this subject then go to Glaeser/Kahn paper .

The Scarsdale High Class of 1984 appears to be back. I'm not sure why I signed up on Facebook but for a nerdy guy, I now have a lot of "friends". The old High School gang is reforming in cyberspace.

I enjoyed participating in this 3/2/2009 Podcast 1st hour NPR interview.

All economists are interested in the unintended consequences of government policy. When the Bush Administration passed pro-ethanol policies, some Princeton researchers (Searchinger et. al) argued that such policies would have severe consequences.

Executive education is a worthwhile pursuit. This summer UCLA is introducing a "green" executive education 2 week course. My colleagues and I at the UCLA Institute of the Environment (www.ioe.ucla.edu) will be the teachers. To learn more, click here.