The Battle to Claim Trash off of Berkeley's Streets
This morning is trash pickup time in Berkeley. As I walked to starbucks, I saw a person with a shopping cart on the residential streets. Her cart was filled with empty cans and bottles. She stopped at a house whose trash was ripe with bottles and cans set to be picked up.
You Won't Have Nixon To Kick Around Any More
"I leave you gentleman now and you will write it. You will interpret it. That's your right. But as I leave you I want you to know — just think how much you're going to be missing.
Cash for Clunkers Evaluated Based on "Carbon Benefits"
Ignoring the Keynesian Demand benefits for New Car makers, what is the payback period for the Cash for Clunkers payment of $4,500 measured solely in terms of reduced carbon emissions? My algebra suggests that it is 25 years or more and that's not too good.
Cash for Young "Clunkers"
I was talking to a smart reporter today and he was telling me that he supports the Cash for Clunkers program saying that it not only benefits Detroit but also helps a variety of new car dealers who are more broadly scattered across the country.
How Cheap Should Public Transit Be?
Senior Citizens pay 25 cents to ride the Santa Monica bus. Here is the fare schedule. I was discriminated against and forced to pay 75 whole cents to ride. The Blue Bus claims that 80,000 people ride per day so let's do some arithmetic. Suppose that raise rates by 50 cents per ride.
Henry Ford's Field Experiment on Institutions vs. Geography
Can we export our institutions into a LDC and help it grow? This book about Henry Ford's failed attempt to build "Fordlandia" in the Amazon suggests that the answer is no but it seems that Ford's treatment went only half-way.
Measuring Progress in Our Standard of Living
The NY Times Declares that GDP Accounting should R.I.P.
International Trade in Used Durables is a Substitute for "Cash for Clunkers"
As Lucas Davis and I document in this July 2009 paper, we already have a "Cash for Clunkers" program in place. It is called international trade in used durables. The U.S has been shipping millions of old, dirty vehicles to Mexico.
Back to Los Angeles After Meeting the 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner
A week in Berkeley is good for the mind but now I must work on my tan --- so I'm back at UCLA working in seclusion. It turns out that UC Berkeley is filled with great economists. They have not all left for Harvard or Obama. I spent all day monday and friday there and talked and talked and talked.
Sexy Sociology
My students should think about transferring from UCLA to UCSB. They can get away from me and Mike Jura teaching "Energy and the Modern Economy" and instead take this sexy course. Now I understand why we got hit with this pay cut.
