A Historian's Views on Climate Change Risk
The world is filled with Ph.D historians. I just had the opportunity to read a long piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education by a historian named Geoffrey Parker as he writes about the long history of natural disasters and the risks posed by climate change.
9th Week of Spring Quarter
This is the strange time of year when only a handful of campuses are not on summer break. Stanford, University of Chicago, Northwestern, UCLA and just a few others are on the quarter system. My students appear to be well aware that it should be summer time.
Economic Geography and Weitzman's PBS Discussion
Greg Mankiw's blog nudged me to read Marty Weitzman's PBS presentation. Marty's work is fascinating but note that there is no spatial component to his work. He never discusses economic geography.
Two Points About Cities
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been re-reading the roughly 2600 blog posts I have written since 2005. I owe everyone an apology. Only 15% of them are good. Too many of the posts are self serving, and/or silly.
Carlsbad California is Very Nice
Until this afternoon, I haven't jumped into the Pacific Ocean for at least 40 years. I'm taken the plunge in Carlsbad, California. From our beach hotel, I've been watching the ocean and the sunset. If you are a mildly contemplative person who is seeking to relax, then this is the place to be.
Classy Los Angeles
The LA Times reports that the entertainer Chris Brown is making some enemies in his neighborhood. His wall art is scaring local children and may strike some adults as tacky. The photo below displays a luxury sports car parked outside of his house and some pop art on his property.
UCLA vs. USC in Academic Competition
With Kobe out of the NBA Playoffs and nobody following the LA Mayorial Election, the LA Times has devoted a front page article to the "big story" that two excellent brain scientists have moved (and taken their huge labs) from UCLA to USC. Two thoughts.
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My Recent Political Economy Work
We all know that "political economy" is hot stuff these days. In this blog post, I will succinctly state my recent efforts on this subject. You will be relieved to know that all of my work has been empirical. I will discuss this work in random order.
Accountability and the Academic Version of American Idol
Watch out academic NSF award recipients! The American Public will soon be searching for you at this website. If you do "silly work" that has been funded with public $, then you may receive a lot of thumbs down and social shame.
Public Intellectuals and the Growing Harvard Hypothesis List
My mother has always hoped that I would be a "public intellectual". While I have failed, many noteworthy academics at Harvard are willing to step up. In recent years, Harvard's scholars have provided many big ideas for which they made national news. Here are three famous examples;
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Lectures on the Economics of Sustainable Real Estate Investment
Every May, I grow tired and bored. This year is worse than usual. I'm teaching too much and I not hearing enough new ideas from my colleagues. In search of new stimulation, I've made a strange choice.
Adaptation During Wartime: The Case of the Marines in Iraq
From 2000 until 2007, I was colleagues with Richard Schultz at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. My Fletcher colleagues are often quoted in the news. When I read their quotes, it makes me flash back to good days. Today, the WSJ reviewed Schultz's new book.
Understanding the Origins of Great Economists' Worldview
This Sunday the NY Times supplies a friendly debate between two titans named Glenn Hubbard and Larry Summers. The author of this piece, Adam Davidson, appears to believe in the key role childhood experience plays in shaping us in later life.
