How Are University Deans Evaluated?
Deans serve five year terms and often seek another 5 year term. In this age of performance criteria, how are Deans evaluated? Since they were originally chosen by the Provost, the Provost has a slight conflict of interest in determining whether the Dean has done a bad job during his/her 1st term.
Time Consistency and Reneging on Promises for Timely Information
For everyone who teaches undergraduate economics and seeks fresh examples for teaching the time consistency problem, the New York Times serves up a beauty.
High Speed Rail's Implications for California Real Estate
Read this NY Times article about California's High Speed Rail. The following quote I reproduce below highlights a similar theme as my recent PNAS China Bullet Train paper.
National reporting on the new high-speed railroad (HSRR) encapsulates the strange delusions outsiders have of California.
Summer School at UCLA in 2013
I'm not sure why I keep volunteering to do this but I'm teaching undergraduate environmental economics at UCLA in the summer of 2013. This is your chance (and may be your last chance for a long time) to take this exciting course.
Newport Beach and the Ring of Fire
If I might quote, Johnny Cash; "I went down to a Ring of Fire ..." --- I won't sing for you but I do want to highlight this piece in the LA Times about the social interactions between the 1% and the 99% at the beach.
An Interesting Hypothesis Emerges from Yale Law School
In this age of non-stop talk about the 1% and the 99%, are the 99% "out of the loop" when they attend Ivy League Schools? In that past, this question might have focused on not being invited to the cool parties but a group of students at Yale Law School argue that students from lower-income backgrou
Winners and Losers from Hurricane Sandy
This article documents that people seeking a coastal summer vacation along the Atlantic Ocean are substituting away from the New Jersey Shore because so many of the NJ communities have been badly injured by Hurricane Sandy.
Some Biographical Information
From age 2 to age 7, I lived here in Manhattan in apartment #4c.
Why Do Most of NYU's Faculty Oppose Their President's Growth Plan?
Today, there are some punchy letters in the NY Times. This lively section tends to suffer from a fundamental selection issue that some anonymous editor chooses which letters to publish and he/she tends to choose letters that selectively affirm his/her world view.
The Demand for Center City Commercial Real Estate
Nasty Gal has moved to Center City Los Angeles. Why?
"Ms. Amoruso moved Nasty Gal to Los Angeles in 2011, to be closer to her merchants and models.
The Hamptons' Real Estate Market Adapts to Climate Change
The NY Times reports that coastal summer homes' elevation is capitalized into rental prices. Perceived quality is reflected in prices. Surprised? I'm not.
The Challenge of Living in West LA
It is 70 degrees this morning. I'm listening to Neil Young's Greatest Hits while I type outside. A bird just pooped and it landed on my computer screen.
Iceland in the Year 2050
The NY Times reports a type of James Bond story as a mysterious Chinese zillionaire seeks to purchase a large amount of rural Iceland to erect a snowy golf course. Do you smell Dr. No? I don't. I see a climate change adaptation bet. Arbitrage is to buy low and sell high.
E-Waste and International Gains to Trade in Used Durables
The New York Times has a piece focused on warehouses filled with old computers and televisions. The interesting economics here relates to product cycles.
China's Bullet Trains and Mega City Quality of Life
PNAS has just published my China bullet trains paper. This work is joint with Tsinghua's Siqi Zheng. Below, I reproduce our abstract:
"Megacity growth in the developing world is fueled by a desire to
access their large local labor markets.
All of the Land and Structures in Los Angeles County is Valued at $1.1 Trillion!
Take a look at page 4 of this report and gawk at the $1.1 Trillion dollar number. In 1990, the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office valued the land and structure at $430 billion. Converting these numbers into real dollars using the CPI, yields an annual average real appreciation rate of 2.5%.
When Does Price Not Signal Quality?
By a no arbitrage argument, high prices reflect high quality. If an apartment's rent is high but its structure quality and location is bad, why would anyone pay that? In this case, rent would fall.
UCLA's Chancellor on the "Double Bottom Line"
All academic economists should read UCLA's Gene Block's recent editorial. Below, I provide some quotes from his piece and my thoughts. Chancellor Block appears to reject some of Milton Friedman's logic on the benefits of ruthless pursuit of self interest. Dr.
An Update on Predicting Facebook's Future Revenue Stream
As my loyal readers know, back in May 2012 I argued that purchasing Facebook at a price of $40 was nuts. I now have new information to provide on the future of this innovative company. While I infrequently log in to Facebook, below I reproduce the advertisements that were customized for me.
Hard Work at Public Universities
I just gave my last lecture for the Winter 2013 quarter at UCLA. There were 100 students registered for my undergraduate environmental economics class. You can look at all of the class material here. UCLA did not assign a graduate Teaching Assistant for this class.
A Few Comments on the IIED's "Assessing the Costs of Adaptation to Climate Change"
Given my ongoing interest in climate change adaptation, I sat down and skimmed this this 2009 report on the cost of climate change adaptation. This 116 page report uses the word "incentives" just once and never mentions the words "technological progress".
Green Space as a Strategy to Displace Sex Offenders From Your Neighborhood
Few communities seek to have registered sex offenders living nearby. This NY Times article sketches out a "killing 2 birds with 1 stone approach". Neighborhoods in LA are creating small public parks. By law, sex offenders can't live within 2,000 feet of such a park.
What is the Rate of Return When Deans Invest in Economics Departments?
As an economist who is married to an economist, I firmly believe that the wise Deans should invest more in academic economics. But, this is an age of scarcity and there is an opportunity cost associated with investing in Economics Departments.
China's Mayor Now Have Incentives to Pursue Tangible Environmental Progress
In joint research with several of my friends in China, I have released a new NBER Working Paper with the boring title; "Incentivizing China's Urban Mayors to Mitigate Pollution Externalities: The Role of the Central Government and Public Environmentalism".
Siqi Zheng, Matthew E.
Glamour at UCLA's Institute of the Environment
This was quite a fundraising event for the UCLA Institute of the Environment. It shows that UCLA may be able to raise $ in places not called Sacramento.
The KPCC Radio Show on Climate Adaptation
In case you missed it, here is the video from last night's KPCC discussion about adaptation to climate change. I enjoyed my trip to Pasadena and made several new friends with folks in the audience.
Yahoo Offers 4 Natural Experiments
The 1990s were the golden age of the "natural experiment". Today, the NY Times reports that Yahoo is offering ambitious young researchers three natural experiments to study at the same time. The young CEO of that company has mandated free food in the Yahoo cafeterias.
The Truth Hurts
At a recent UCLA Ziman Real Estate Center Conference, this flattering photo was taken of the back of my head.
Say what you want about me but I can take a punch.
Are Green Cities Elitist?
What do cities such as Boston, Boulder, CO, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and London have in common? These green cities are aesthetically pleasing and housing is quite expensive.
The Preface to the Paperback Version of Climatopolis
Back in September 2010 when Climatopolis was first published, climate change adaptation was not a politically correct topic for conversation. I wrote this book because I anticipated that neither the United States nor China nor any other growing nation would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
