Read Greg Ip's WSJ piece talking about his new book.
I was born in Chicago. I met my wife in Chicago and I learned some economics there. It is always a thrill to return. The University of Chicago's Economics Community has turned over almost completely since I started there in 1988.
The NY Times Room for Debate section has an excellent, calm (and sane) discussion of the small ball actions households, firms and local governments are taking that together will help NYC to adapt so that the "next Sandy" causes much less damage to the area.
Crowding out is a powerful idea that always has the same core theme. One change to an economy has unintended ripple effects. Social Security crowds out private savings. FEMA investment in coastal protection crowds out private self-protection of moving to higher ground.
A growing field of applied economics examines long run correlations and uncovers some startling patterns. Daron Acemoglu's work on institutions heavily relies on long run persistence. In recent years, startling new facts have emerged.
The Economist Magazine recognizes that Singapore is rich and hot (and air conditoned) but rejects this optimistic vision for the world's urban future. This linked piece reports some "doom and gloom" based on a new important paper by Burke, Hsiang and Miguel.
Successful "low carbon" people in San Francisco such Thomas Steyer face a fundamental challenge. Much of the U.S relies on fossil fuels to create their jobs, to generate low electricity prices and to allow for cheap transportation services.
President Obama has talked several U.S companies into pledging to reduce their respective greenhouse gas emissions. Why have these companies signed these pledges?
"The companies that have made the pledge include such iconic American brands as Levi Strauss & Company, McDonald’s, I.B.M.
"The companies that have made the pledge include such iconic American brands as Levi Strauss & Company, McDonald’s, I.B.M.
I am grateful to the UCSB Economics Department for offering me the opportunity to give the 3rd Annual Babcock Lecture. I tried my best to give a serious (but funny) lecture for a general audience of undergraduates, graduates and faculty focused on the microeconomics of climate change adaptation.
Watch Dr. Martin L. Kahn's interview here. Here is the transcript. You can contrast his public speaking with my style.
You are a bundle of traits (through nature, nurture and their interaction). Empiricists can measure your muscle, math problem solving ability and your personality traits.
Suppose the U.S welcomed everyone in the world to enter our nation without restrictions. I would guess that within 15 years that 4 billion people would be living in the United States.
For the last two days, I was attending a Stanford Environmental Economics conference. The full details are posted here. Marshall Burke and Charlie Kolstad arranged an excellent program that attracted many of the stars of the field.
The Harvard Crimson has published a long piece about the current state of the Harvard Econ Department.
If Governor Brown is still in power in 15 years, he can be held accountable for committing California to generate 50% of its power from zero carbon sources (nuclear?) by the year 2030.
The NY Times provides a geography lesson today. Readers learn about Fushun China. While the article is quite strong, it wants to tell a cautionary tale of what happens to an area that specializes in resource extraction once the resources "run dry".
The NY Times reports that President Obama seeks to tap into private charity to generate more funds for Syrian migrant refugees.
The NY Times reports that the Fed had a big macro conference and some very famous economists agreed that they don't know how to stop the next financial crisis. Here, I briefly sketch how to do so at low cost and with minimal moral hazard effects.
The Manhattan Institute has just published a free e-book that anyone who cares about cities will gain at least $20 in consumer surplus from reading! Your free copy is available here. As usual, Ed Glaeser played a key leadership in putting this volume together.
Read this article about how New Jersey is getting prepared to cope with the new hurricane. Memories of Hurricane Sandy have a silver lining. People in New Jersey and government officials are preparing for this shock and it will cause less damage because of their preparations.
Neil Irwin has written an interesting piece about the UK's Mark Carney. This important banker is worried about the future impact of climate change on risk exposure for banks. Permit me to supply one quote before I start to analyze his remarks.
