The Gary Becker Conference Starts Thursday at UChicago
On Thursday, hundreds of economists will return to the University of Chicago to celebrate Gary Becker's contributions. I have not been back to UC for a year now but I'm looking forward to seeing my old friends, and the Department's new building.
Human Capital as the Basis for Great Organizations: The Case of the Zabar's Deli
Many graduates of the University of Chicago will return at the end of this week to celebrate Gary Becker's contributions to Economics and to building up the University of Chicago. Their next generation of economists have big shoes to fill.
The Ebola Quarantine and the Coase Theorem and Property Rights
From a public health perspective, it makes sense to quarantine potentially Ebola infected people but who has the property rights here? Imagine a world where people have the right to not be quarantined.
Biographies of Johnny Carson and Aerosmith's Joe Perry
I have recently read biographies of the Late Night Comic Johnny Carson and the guitarist Joe Perry. Carson's book is written by his ex-lawyer.
Carson hired Henry Bushkin when Bushkin was a young man and Carson was already famous. Carson expected 100% completely loyalty and service.
Pragmatic Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Cities
The New York Times sketches that local officials in Florida are stepping up and enacting policies to reduce their area's exposure to emerging climate change risk.
Human Capital Accumulation and China's Future Economic Growth
The Growth Accounting crew wants to talk about the coming slowdown in China's economic growth. As I walk UCLA's campus, I see thousands of Chinese students enrolled seeking to learn and planning to return home. What is the net effect of this investment in human capital on China's future growth.
The Return Home
I have vanished for a while but now I'm back to offer a few thoughts.
1. The Ebola case in NYC offers an interesting test of self protection theory. When the sick doctor checked into Bellevue there was a sudden surge in Bellevue Staff taking sick days. Coincidence?
2.
Incorporating Adaptation Into CGE Climate Change Impact Modeling
Simon Dietz and Nicholas Stern have a new paper celebrating the Nordhaus Model for measuring the cost of climate change. I would like to discuss their equation (4) on page 10 of the paper.
A Merger Between Hollywood and Silicon Valley?
In the NY Times Style Section, there is an interesting article about the shifting balance of power within California. The Hollywood Moguls traveled to Silicon Valley because they know that the real $ is there.
Why Does Santa Monica Airport Continue to Exist?
The beach community of Santa Monica has a small airport where rich guys land their private planes. All airports take up a lot of room and this one may be 230 acres of land within 3 miles of the beach. More facts about the airport are here.
Optimism about Reduced Deaths from Cyclones in Growing LDCs
The NY Times reports that a major cyclone hit India and as of now reports that 2 people died.
An Optimistic Ecologist
I wonder if Paul Ehrlich will read Ruth Defries' new book titled The Big Ratchet. In today's WSJ, she expresses a fair bit of optimism about human's ability to adapt to new challenges. Here is a WSJ review where she embraces the induced innovation hypothesis.
The NY Times Wonders Why Beijing Intellectuals Tend to Oppose the Hong Kong Protests
The NY Times has written a long article that implicitly expresses its surprise that intellectuals in Beijing have not endorsed the protests in Hong Kong. The NY Times hints that the Beijing residents are "brainwashed" and do not know that Western democracy would be good for them.
The NY Times Mocks Gwyneth Paltrow
President Obama is in my part of Los Angeles looking for $ and connecting with old friends. The NY Times reports that he spoke at a fundraiser at Ms. Paltrow's home.
Manufacturing Productivity Loss in LDCs Caused by Summer Heat: Don't Forget Human Capital Theory
This paper examines how productivity in Indian manufacturing firms is affected by outdoor temperature.
Ebola in Sprawled vs. Compact Cities
Skim this article about the city of Makeni in Sierra Leone and you will start thinking about the negative consequences of urban population density as Ebola spreads.
Can Walkers and Bikers Share NYC's Central Park?
Many progressive thinkers celebrate public space (such as Manhattan's Central Park) as an example of public goods that can be shared by large numbers of people. Such outdoor leisure leads to new friendships and serendipitous meetings of strangers in the big city.
Ranking the Graduate Ph.D Econ Class of 1993
I finished my Ph.D. in 1993. I was a member of a talented graduating class coming out of the University of Chicago. The UChicago graduate placement committee seemed to believe in the invisible hand with respect to the market for new Ph.D. economists (i.e.
How Many UChicago Economists Can You Name in this Photo?
The photo below was taken at a University of Chicago Econ softball game back in 1991. You should recognize two Nobel Laureates and a likely future laureate (not me).
