Economists in Istanbul
I am in Istanbul, Turkey. Tonight the World Congress for Environmental Economics starts. Today I went for a two hour boat ride with Jing Cao and Shan Li and took this photo. We had a great time on the water.
Soon, I will arrive in Tel Aviv.
Teaching Environmental Economics During the 2014-2015 Academic Year?
What would you say if I told you that your students can read a $1 textbook that teaches, through a number of "real world" examples, the leading ideas in environmental economics? What if I told you that the book contains a number of free market environmentalism ideas that will simultaneously interes
Michael Crow, ASU, Ants and Biosphere 2
Joe Nocera has written a loving tribute to ASU's President Michael Crow in this NY Times piece. To his credit, Dr.
Tim Groseclose's New Book Examining UCLA Admissions Policy
In April 2014, Tim Groseclose published his book "Cheating An Insider's Report on the Use of Race in Admissions at UCLA". Admissions to elite universities is highly valued.
Within NBA Team Income Inequality and Player Performance
Nobody has a strong preference to be a "low ranked monkey". Whether in the NBA or at the University of California, workers are unhappy when they know they are below the median earners.
Climate Change as a Threat: How Big of a "Threat"? Write Down Your Economy's Equations
On Twitter, I see some chuckling that 51% of people polled in a Bloomberg Survey view climate change to be a "minor" or "no" threat.
The World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists 2014
In two weeks many of the world's environmental and resource economists will gather in Istanbul Turkey. I will give one of the three keynote talks and I will focus on climate change adaptation and cities. Adaptation is the awkward topic that many intellectuals (including many Ph.D.
How Should Econ 101 Be Taught?
Twenty years ago when I was a young Asst. Professor at Columbia University, I was given the task of teaching Econ 101 to 350+ undergraduates. I haven't taught this course in recent years but I have a few thoughts about how to do it right.
International Free Trade in Solar Panels and Domestic Tariffs
Do U.S environmentalists support the recent policy of the U.S Commerce Department to impose tariffs on Chinese solar panels? Whether international trade is "good" for the environment is an old question that Larry Summers wrestled with in this memo and Copeland and Taylor have done great research on
Krugman on Carbon Mitigation, Self Interest and Ideology
Paul Krugman has written an interesting piece He states; "So the real obstacle, as we try to confront global warming, is economic ideology reinforced by hostility to science." I don't think this is right.
Free Juice
Have any energy economists written a paper documenting trends in airport electricity consumption over time as more and more travelers seek to find any spare electric socket to recharge for free their phones, tablets, PCs and other mobile devices? Given my previous post on Tesla recharging and the
Slides for my World Congress Talk in Istanbul in June 2014
In late June 2014, I will give one of the Keynote talks at the World Congress of Environmental and Resource Economists in Istanbul. For those who do not plan to attend, here is my talk outline. As you will see, I focus on how the system of cities helps us to adapt to climate change.
Free Tesla Charging at Multi-Family Apartment Complexes?
I own a vacation condo close to Santa Barbara, California. The condo is part of a complex of roughly 40 units. Each apartment has a parking space.
President Obama to Offer a Subsidy for Past Humanities Majors
Debt forgiveness is often an attractive policy for borrowers. While such new "rules of the game" create bad dynamic incentives, we can understand why they are popular with a subset of people.
"Human Shields": A Thought About the Economics of Coal Mining Employment
In this piece, Paul Krugman highlights that total employment in coal mining has declined from 250,000 jobs in the U.S in 1980 to roughly 80,000 today.
Hot Climate Adaptation: Evidence from LeBron James vs. Tony Parker
LeBron James was in great pain last night as he played game #1 of the NBA finals in the hot indoors. Other international players suffered less. To quote Tony Parker; "Felt like I was playing in the European Championship.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Becker's Household Production Theory
Gary Becker did seminal research on household production theory. In this blog post, I would like to talk about household production theory and its relevance for thinking about decarbonizing our economy. Paul Krugman has a tough blog post about Roger Pielke Jr.
What are the Risks of Relying on Natural Gas for Power Generation?
Here are some data on time trends in natural gas prices. Keep in mind that these are nominal units and the EIA doesn't bother to tell you which units! Here is the graph starting in January 2002 and moving ahead one month at a time.
The Demand for "Face to Face" MBA Programs
The NY Times reports that Harvard Business School has had a long internal debate about how to enter the "MOOC" open source education market. Unlike Wharton, HBS is offering a differentiated product that it seeks to make money on targeted as a "pre-MBA".
