Environmental and Urban Economics

This is my second trip to Singapore and I've been here for a week.  Each day it is over 90 degrees and quite humid.  Has violence and low productivity broken out?  Fascinating Berkeley research suggests that it should  but Singapore is peaceful and quite rich.

Read this reasonable piece about FEMA and natural disasters but ponder a simple question;  why do areas affected by natural disasters receive any transfers at all from other regions?  National defense is a public good but how is natural disaster insurance a public good?  You can convince me that the

Tom Smith has published an excellent OP-ED in the LA Times about his research project on preserving natural capital in Cameroon during a time when China is sharply increasing its investments in "extractive resource technologies".    I am working with him on this project and this stuff fascinates me.

I had a great time on Sentosa Island in Singapore last night.   When the sun sets and the heat fades, the people of Singapore head on out to have fun.  They have figured out how to adapt to their climate conditions. At NUS, most people use air conditioned buses to travel around the campus.

To celebrate my first day as a Visiting Professor at NUS, I'm giving away my new environmental and urban economics book away for free.  This offer is only good for August 26th 2013.

Watch this video to hear me discuss what is unique about my new book.

Many educated women choose not to "Lean In" and instead engage in some home production with their delightful kids.

How will Texas adapt to drought conditions?  Will suburban homes continue to have lush green lawns?  As I argued in Climatopolis, if water authorities raise the price of water to signal scarcity then suburban households would have an incentive to demand innovative solutions and some entrepreneur wou

I have just spent two days visiting Stanford University.  If you ever have the opportunity to be an undergraduate, graduate student, full time faculty, visiting faculty or cook at Stanford, accept that offer!  You won't regret it.

To celebrate my first day Visiting NUS next week,  I will be giving away free copies of my Fundamentals book on Monday 8/26/13.

For folks looking to stream some deep thoughts about the future of California, you can click here.

In this age of "Big Data", when are policy makers willing to experiment and tryout a new idea such as school vouchers or road pricing in a small pilot program?  Such field experiments will be embraced by politicians when they recognize that the "business as usual" case isn't working and when they kn

My mother didn't like my last book (titled Climatopolis).  She thinks that I'm too enthralled with free markets and she wants me to look and think like Dr. Krugman.  I told her that she could move from New York City to France. Fortunately for my family, my new book has one positive review.

Soon I'll return to Singapore.  In early September 2013, I will give eight lectures about the green economy at NUS.  All of the details are here.  If everything goes right, I plan to write a short book based on these lectures.

$0 price ==> 0 consumer surplus?  You decide!   Just click here to download Fundamentals of Environmental Economics.  UPDATE:  This offer expired yesterday.

The Wall Street Journal's Review section ran an excerpt of Emily Oster's new book and today the NY Post endorses it.   From these pieces, I see that Emily will challenge the standard rules of thumb that benevolent paternalist doctors confront pregnant women with.

August 12th 2013 is my parents' 51st wedding anniversary.   To celebrate this important day,  Amazon will give away free copies (just on Monday) of my e-book; Fundamentals of Environmental Economics: Solving Urban Pollution Problems.   I will learn what the demand curve for my book looks like.

Chapter 11 focuses on the global externality of greenhouse gas production.  I start by using some World Bank WDI Data to show students some interesting facts about trends in GHG production.  It is important for curious students to learn how to use data to generate new descriptive facts.

One mark of a  thriving research field is when superstars from other fields start writing on the topic.  Recently, Acemoglu, Barro, Cochrane and Rossi-Hansberg have all independently, written important stuff related to climate change economics.   This is progress.

Next Tuesday, I'll be presenting a "Big Think" talk about the Future of California at the California Air Resources Board's Chair's Lecture.  Here is the link.  Since I know that my mom will like this, I reproduce the glossy info below.

I have read many environmental economics texts and while they drone on about cost/benefit analysis and introduce countless acronyms such as CAA and EPA and BTU, they don't discuss why some capitalist firms sell green varieties such as a Prius.  Chapter Ten of my new book tackles this subject.

It is a rare day when an economist not named Krugman publishes an OP-ED in the NY Times.   Today, an economist named Peter Navarro (not to be mistaken with the guitarist Dave Navarro) has published a strange piece.

How did Al Gore become "Al Gore"?   When you meet an environmentalist, what role has recent events, peers, early schooling,  macro events,  family and other factors played in shaping this person's priorities?  Much of the environmental movement focuses on influencing young people to "act locally but

Chapter Eight:   Pollution Externalities Associated with Urban Household Activity  is a mildly innovative chapter at the intersection of environmental and urban economics.  I have spent my career working at melding these fields and my new book's chapter 8 conveys some of the excitement.

As the rest of the world free rides, California is making progress as it enacts AB32.  The Air Resources Board is in charge of designing and implementing this carbon dioxide mitigation regulation.  I will be speaking at the ARB on August 13th about California's future quality of life.

My modest spouse did not tell me that she is running for office!  To serve on the AEA Executive Committee has always been one of her key life goals.

Chapter Seven of Fundamentals of Environmental Economics focuses on the pollution externality associated with transportation.

"First, let’s do some algebra. Define N = the number of people in a city and P = probability that each person owns a car.