Meet My New Neighbor
This 22 year old has purchased a nearby home in Little Homby for $85 million. I assume she won't be using the local public schools in the short run. At a 1% property tax, she will be paying roughly $16,000 a week for garbage pickup. That's civic engagement!
Note that she is from England.
Urban Economics in Hawaii in December 2011
Which sub-field of economics throws the best conferences? My new vote is for "urban economics".
A Culture of Energy Conservation and Sacrifice
In Japan today, there an increasingly urgent effort to conserve on electricity consumption. While most economists would suggest that the price mechanism could be used to discourage use (see Frank Wolak's study), an alternative strategy is peer pressure, "shame and ostracism" and relying on guilt.
Writing Book Blurbs
For the first 45 years of my life, I have tried to figure out what am I actually good at. It turns out that the answer is simple; writing book blurbs. Want proof? Compare these.
Global Climate Change Policy Momentum
In April, I attended the Fortune Brainstorm Green Conference in Newport Beach. At the dinner, I met Mark Fulton and his wife. We had a very nice talk about many issues.
A New Real Estate Blog
For those of you looking for new UCLA insights on the broad topic of real estate and urban policy, please take a look at our new blog.
Amazon in the City
The Wall Street Journal reports on some interesting urban economics related to Amazon having to pay state sales tax and the consequences of this tax regime shift on where it locates its warehouses.
Santa Monica's Trash Exports and Marginal Cost Pricing
Santa Monica is a pretty, progressive city adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and 5 miles from UCLA. In 2008, I had hoped to buy a house on Harvard St. in Santa Monica but the owner turned down my low ball bid. This article sketches the challenge that this liberal city faces.
Climate Change Adaptation: The Case of Growing Rice
Important recent statistical research has documented how weather shocks have affected recent U.S agricultural production. For those hoping for good news for how innovation and new ideas can offset Mother Nature's blows; Here is some optimism.
Understanding Why Only Some Hybrid Vehicles Sell for a Price Premium
The Toyota Camry Hybrid is priced at nearly $7,000 more than the conventional Toyota Camry.
New York City's Push to Become a "Greener" City
In a big city, small actions such as converting a building's heating source from oil to natural gas can have big consequences.
Passing the Stress Test Posed by the Current Heat Wave
The summer heat continues in the Northeast.
Adapting to Summer Heat
As I sit and work outside in 75 degree Los Angeles, permit me to offer a few thoughts about the current heat wave. This article offers some wisdom. It claims that heat waves cause fewer deaths in areas where people have more experience dealing with heat waves. That is interesting.
Slow Public Transit in Los Angeles: A Case Study
Last night, I took a 5pm #1 Big Blue Bus from the UCLA Hilgard Ave stop to Santa Monica intending to get off at Ocean Ave (just at the beach). Google Maps told me this would be a 7 mile drive. My trip took 62 minutes.
Green Chemistry and Healthy Products Revisted
The New York Times has an interesting article on the continued use of potentially cancer causing chemicals by embalmers. Last year, I had an opportunity to work on the California Green Chemistry Initiative.
Anticipating Future Hot Summers and Getting Ready to Adapt
Heidi Cullen's OP-ED in today's NY Times serves a useful purpose in reminding us that this summer's heat is likely to be a typical outcome in the near future.
New York City Prepares to Make a Big Bet on "Applied Science"
Is New York City the right place to build the "next Silicon Valley"? The Mayor appears to believe so and he is prepared to use a fair bit of $ to try to achieve this goal.
The Declining Death Toll from Natural Disasters
I have published only one "macro" paper in my career. My 2005 Death Toll from Natural Disasters has generated a lot of cites and some media attention. In that paper, I argued that economic development protects nations from death risk from natural disaster.
My Beijing Trip
I have just returned from spending ten days in Beijing and Tianjin. Do U.S academics enjoy too much leisure? To my slight surprise, I was asked to give a Sunday seminar at Tsinghua University and roughly 20 people attended my talk.
The Good Old Days
This WSJ Article about rising river shipping costs due to silt buildup in muddy rivers (caused by recent flooding) made me think back to the good old 1990s when "natural experiments" offered economists exogenous variation for testing various hypotheses.
Will a Vehicle Fleet Average Fuel Economy of 56 MPG Offer a "Free Lunch"?
In the year 2025, there will be plenty of vehicles driving around the United States. If their average fuel economy is 56.2 MPG and if the "rebound effect" isn't a serious factor, then total greenhouse gas emissions from U.S transportation will decline and this would be very good.
Taxing Imported Carbon Emissions
I have returned to Westwood after spending 4 very pleasant days in Berkeley. Berkeley is great, the UC Berkeley faculty is outstanding but Westwood is my town. For better or worse, I've morphed into a West LA guy.
