Posting here will be infrequent until later in October. Meanwhile, here are some links that may be of interest.

Is the insecurity of Microsoft software an externality that should be regulated or taxed?

An example of professional licensing as rent-seeking (in more ways than one).

Robert Hall draws out the implications of extrapolating ever-increasing health care costs.

Edward (“real world economics”) Lotterman looks at the dubious benefits of living wage regulation.

Brad DeLong cites Petra Moser’s prize-winning work suggesting that patents do not necessarily foster innovation.

Cass R. Sunstein and Richard Thaler review Michael Lewis’ Moneyball, which is about exploiting the inefficient market for baseball talent.

Here is a long interview with Allan Meltzer. I have been reading a lot about the Great Depression lately, but this is the first explanation I have seen of how the “real bills doctrine” kept the Fed from increasing the supply of reserves.