My May 2015 LSE Lecture on Quality of Life and the Environment in China
I am a 1987 graduate of the LSE. In less than two months, I return to the LSE to see my friends there and to give several lectures. One will be a public lecture where I discuss the big themes of my China research. Most of this research is joint with Siqi Zheng of Tsinghua.
Air Conditioning and Urban Adaptation to Intense Heat
On Thursday night, I gave an after dinner talk for a group of NBER economists. My talk focused on the impact of climate change on urban economic growth and urban quality of life.
Should Microeconomics Be a Requirement at UCLA?
The UCLA Daily Bruin sometimes reports polls of its readers' views. While surveys may attract a non-random sample of respondents, note that 66% of UCLA students support water rationing. Note that "water pricing" isn't even included as an option for adapting to drought conditions.
A Defeat
Have you ever written a book manuscript and submitted it to a leading academic press and received four favorable reviews all recommending publication? But then based on a negative report from a scholar who doesn't have an econ degree, your manuscript is rejected. A bad day. An embarrassing day.
Cambridge, MA
Boston is a cold city. I lived here for 8 years over two different time periods. now I'm just another guy renting a room at the Sonesta Hotel. it is 90 degrees today in Los Angeles and I'm not used to wearing a coat. I'm not used to seeing dirty snow on the ground and I'm not used to cold rain.
Celebrating Lee Kuan Yew's Life
The NY Times editorial board has mixed feelings about Lee Kuan Yew's legacy. During his decades of leadership, Singapore's poverty rate plummeted and the nation/state is now strong and prosperous.
Essential Heterogeneity and Comparing "Treatment Effects" from Randomized Trials versus Observational Studies
A highly cited paper published in 2000 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that;
RESULTS
There were 136 reports about 19 diverse treatments, such as calcium-channel–blocker therapy for coronary artery disease, appendectomy, and interventions for subfertility.
Humanities Majors, Moral Hazard and Student Debt Default
Read this piece in the NY Times by Prof. Susan Dynarski about the huge amount of student debt and then ponder the following issue. Suppose a university graduate runs up a $50,000 debt majoring in the humanities at some university.
Spring Teaching
My UCLA teaching is now completed. In the Spring 2015 quarter, I will teach a 20 person pass/fail Freshman Fiat Lux focusing the economics of adapting to climate change. The class will meet 5 times for two hours each on occasional Fridays. I don't view this as "teaching".
The Economics of Drone Warfare: Labor to Capital Substitution and Credible Threats from Democracies
Amy Zegart served on the UCLA Public Policy faculty for several years. Today, she has published a thought provoking piece about drone warfare in the WSJ.
Raise California Water Prices
The NY Times has done it again. One of its top reporters discusses drought at length without mentioning water prices! Why do intellectuals fear the economists? We don't bite but we also don't offer free lunches. Raise water prices and allow the magic of the market to play out.
Back to Research
Over the last 5 weeks, I have been teaching four times a week as I taught on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and on Saturdays (for 7 hours each time!). I'm on the verge of being done. I report to work at USC in mid-August.
Successful Children of UCLA Faculty
I wonder what my son will grow up and do. The NY Times reports that the bassist for Sonic Youth's father was a Professor of Sociology at UCLA. Professor Wayne C.
Contrasting Quality of Life in San Francisco vs. Los Angeles
I have a painful revision I need to work on so I'm procrastinating and as I cruised the Internet I found this funny quote contrasting San Fran and LA. I think this is all you need to know.
"SF is for those who love living in the suburbs, since it is a suburb of San jose.
A Review of Public Transit in Los Angeles
I live in Westwood on the West Side of Los Angeles. Today I had to travel about 11 miles to the City Center. I thought about calling Uber but then I decided to run a field experiment. While I won't publish this in the QJE, I would like to tell you about my adventure.
My Keynote Talk at USC Tomorrow
For those who won't be in LA tomorrow, you can download my slides for my talk tomorrow here. I will be giving a Keynote at USC's 2015 Real Estate Law and Business Forum.
Yik Yak and Taxing the Status of the 1% on College Campuses
The hip NY Times has discovered Yik Yak . Undergraduates are using this website to anonymously speak their minds. I doubt that much of the chatter on this website focuses on economists.
Excessive Self Confidence Exuded by Book Reviewers
Robert Putnam has published a new book called "Our Kids". It is reviewed in the NY Times today by Jason DeParle. Read DeParle's review and you see a certainty about how the world works that I find extraordinary and immodest.
The Smart Phone's Role in Adapting to Natural Disasters
Connecticut's leaders recognize that the state's residents will face future disasters. Gov.
The Drought Causes War Hypothesis: Evidence from Syria
This Slate article drew my attention to a recent scholarly PNAS piece . Here is the PNAS article's abstract:
"Before the Syrian uprising that began in 2011, the greater Fertile Crescent experienced the most severe drought in the instrumental record.
The Economics of Ph.D. Students Forming Unions
When I taught at Columbia University in the early 1990s, I wondered about our Ph.D. program. Yes, we were an Ivy League School but at that time Columbia Econ's senior faculty focused on a narrow set of topics such as International Trade. I also wondered about all of the Ph.D.
China Invests in Improving its Environmental Governance
My co-author Prof. Siqi Zheng teaches at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Her University is one of the top schools in China and proudly calls itself the MIT of China. Until recently, the President of her university was an energetic 51 years old named Chen Jining. Dr.
LA Beach Communities and Oil Drilling
I own a property in the beach community of Carpinteria, California close to Santa Barbara. From the deck of my condo, I can see the Pacific Ocean and I can see oil rigs out in the distance. Here is a typical photo.
House of Cards Season 3: Where Are the Economists?
I have watched the first 4 episodes of Season Three of House of Cards. I have seen the smooth Russian Putin dance with the First Lady and break the heart of Frank Underwood.
