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Bryan Caplan: April 2008
An Author Archive by Month (50 entries)
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April 30, 2008
Economics of Education
Bryan Caplan
From Richard Rothstein at Cato Unbound:College graduates are, in fact, not in short supply. Indeed, some college graduates are now forced to take jobs requiring only high-school educations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that, for the next decade, only... MORE
Economic History
Bryan Caplan
Admittedly I'm a sucker for a period piece, but World War I dogfight drama Flyboys has the most exciting aerial combat scenes I have ever seen. See it - it's way better that you'd expect. P.S. Get ready for the... MORE
April 29, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
When I'm old, I want to be the octogenarian that the Young Turks come to with their crazy new ideas. I don't want to be the senior professor that the whippersnapper assistant profs avoid. Above all else, I never want... MORE
Growth: Causal Factors
Bryan Caplan
From Timur Kuran's introduction to Julian Simon's posthumous The Great Breakthrough and Its Cause:What turned out, sadly, to be our last meeting took place in early January 1998, in Chicago, during that year's convention of the American Economic Association. Between... MORE
April 28, 2008
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
Why do countries and groups within countries engage in large-scale violent conflict? Social scientists' knee-jerk impulse is to look for objective conflict of interest: It's about land, oil, or whatever. But if you watch a standard news channel like CNN,... MORE
I while back I argued that it's easy to detect media bias from headlines alone. A recent NYT piece on life expectancy makes my point for me better than I ever could. The facts: U.S. life expectancy for all income... MORE
April 27, 2008
Energy, Environment, Resources
Bryan Caplan
I never thought of these two economists at the same time, until Hamilton called the 2005 Energy Bill "monstrous"!As a result of ethanol subsidies and mandates, the dollar value of what we ourselves throw away in order to produce fuel... MORE
April 26, 2008
Politics and Economics
Bryan Caplan
Mark Steyn's graciously accepted my latest Euro bet, along with David Henderson and EconLog reader Rafiv. (Rafiv, I will need to know your full name and location to seal the deal with you; just let me know and we're on).... MORE
Politics and Economics
Bryan Caplan
Here's an especially specific claim in Mark Steyn's America Alone:The U.S. government's National Intelligence Council is predicting that the EU will collapse by 2020. I think that's a rather cautious estimate myself. Ever since September 11, I've been gloomily predicting... MORE
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
From Mark Steyn's paranoid but enviably well-written America Alone:The question for today's Europe is whether the primary identity of their fastest-growing demographic is Muslim or Belgian, Muslim or Dutch, Muslim or French. That's where civilizational confidence comes in: if "Dutchness"... MORE
April 25, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
The one good thing about this boring, boring movie was walking out!... MORE
Economic Methods
Bryan Caplan
Who knows enough about the data to say how many of the 15 rematch bets Ehrlich would have won?... MORE
Economic Methods
Bryan Caplan
Tyler says that John Rawls is the "least Hansonian thinker" ever. But perhaps Paul Ehrlich is a better candidate. Here's what he (and his wife) have to say about betting:Steve and Paul indulged in this betting foolishness in the first... MORE
Energy, Environment, Resources
Bryan Caplan
You've probably heard about the famous Simon-Ehrlich wager, but did you know the Ehrlich asked for a rematch? Paul Ehrlich and Steve Schneider proposed to bet $1000 on each on the following:1. The three years 2002-2004 will on average be... MORE
April 24, 2008
Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings
Bryan Caplan
James Schneider, my best friend from Princeton, has written my favorite novel of the 21st century, entitled Riding Tigers. I'd compare it to A Confederacy of Dunces. It's a coming-of-age story filled with quirky characters, a plot that keeps you... MORE
Family Economics
Bryan Caplan
After blogging this...If you look at the data - the same GSS data you favorably cite - you'll see that kids usually have a smaller negative effect on the happiness of moms than the happiness of dads. The natural inference... MORE
April 22, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
Will Wilkinson's not too happy with my lecture on "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids." Frankly, we seem to be talking past each other, but I think it's worth trying one more time. From his latest comments, point-by-point:There are perfectly... MORE
Economic Methods
Bryan Caplan
Once again, Robin's doing what he does best: get meta. I've argued that Sylvia Hewlett hurt her book sales by stepping on her friends' toes without reaching out to potential allies. But if that's what I think, says Robin, isn't... MORE
April 21, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
I've just uploaded two new talks to my "Fun Lectures" webpage: 1. Lecture notes for my Friday FEE/GMU Econ Society seminar, "Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids." If you were at the talk, reports on any change in your desired... MORE
Economics of Health Care
Bryan Caplan
I've been a pitiful figure the last six months. My feet have been hurting so much that I practically abandoned all walking on paved surfaces. I've been teaching class sitting down. I even started wearing real shoes. Desperation drove me... MORE
April 20, 2008
Information Goods, Intellectual Property
Bryan Caplan
I really enjoyed Sylvia Hewlett's Creating a Life, but feminists were outraged. (Check out all the 1-star reviews on Amazon). Normally, I'd expect all this negative publicity to be great for sales. All publicity is good publicity, right? But Hewlett's... MORE
April 19, 2008
Economic Philosophy
Bryan Caplan
Arthur Brooks' finding that gun owners are markedly happier ("[C]ontrary to the implication of Mr. Obama's comments, for many Americans, happiness often does indeed involve a warm gun") reminds me of another gem by philosopher Michael Huemer, "Is There a... MORE
Almost all economists ridicule the notion that - at its current margin - the U.S. government can raise revenue by cutting taxes. Well, let me put forward a promising new candidate for a free lunch tax cut: Much lower taxes... MORE
Labor Mobility, Immigration, Outsourcing
Bryan Caplan
Rising food prices don't mean a lot in the U.S., but in places like Haiti, they're a disaster:Saint Louis Meriska’s children ate two spoonfuls of rice apiece as their only meal recently and then went without any food the following... MORE
April 18, 2008
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
A petition at the Economist's View accuses ABC of insulting the intelligence of the American people. I'd like to respond by accusing the petition's signatories of complimenting the intelligence of the American people. And at least ABC seems to have... MORE
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
Thaler and Sunstein's latest piece provides a perfect illustration of what's wrong with "sophisticated" critiques of laissez-faire. They begin sensibly enough:In the past 20 years, there has been a growing interest in cutting-edge research that has come to be called... MORE
April 17, 2008
Labor Market
Bryan Caplan
Well, it doesn't apply to me, but it's still great advice:One piece of advice for young women. Do a whole lot of planning early on. Be as strategic about your personal life as you are about your career. And find... MORE
April 16, 2008
Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings
Bryan Caplan
I just finished Sylvia Ann Hewlett's fantastic Creating a Life: Professional Women and the Quest for Children (used copies on Amazon going for as little as 8 cents!). This book is full of great material on a wide range of... MORE
April 15, 2008
Economic Philosophy
Bryan Caplan
As a small child, I loved Bill Cosby, but when I became a man, I put aside childish things. But a few minutes ago, while perusing a list of Cosby quotes, I decided I was right the first time. A... MORE
International Trade
Bryan Caplan
The Cato Institute is making it really easy to discover politicians' voting records on free trade. With the click of a button, for example, we can find out the trade positions of Dorgan and Wyden, the demagogues who bedeviled Robin... MORE
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
Is support for organ markets in the blood? One of the world's most articulate defenders of organ markets is a second-generation Iranian - and guess what else?Only one country in the world has eliminated the shortage of transplant kidneys. Only... MORE
April 14, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
Happiness researchers usually find that kids have a negative effect on happiness. By the time the result gets blogged, it's tempting to say, as Will Wilkinson does, that "children make us miserable." But how big is the estimated effect of... MORE
Economic History
Bryan Caplan
West Virginia's got the lowest level of economic freedom in the U.S. What's the reason? Newly-minted WVU Ph.D. Claudia Williamson traces it to West Virginians' serious historical misconceptions in her chapter in Russ Sobel's edited volume, Unleashing Capitalism: Why Prosperity... MORE
April 13, 2008
Microeconomics
Bryan Caplan
In The Logic of Life, Tim Harford tries to figure out why rents in New York and other trendy urban locations are so high. You might think that the rents are high because the wages are high. But adjusting for... MORE
April 10, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
The most fascinating characters in the world are econ profs, but you'd never guess this from watching feature films. So on one level I'm happy to see that The Visitor, which arrives in theaters tomorrow, dares to make its protagonist... MORE
Microeconomics
Bryan Caplan
Following up on my last question, what would it take to make you take a spammer seriously? Imagine that one email scam in 10,000 was genuine. How could a complete stranger from Micronesia convince you even to read his email,... MORE
Microeconomics
Bryan Caplan
I've previously argued that you usually need extensive educational credentials just to get an interview for anything more than a low-status job. It strikes me that there is a similar problem if you have a new product and want to... MORE
April 8, 2008
Politics and Economics
Bryan Caplan
I don't know how I got on Hillary's emailing list, but it's not without some entertainment value. It looks like she's trying to get Austan Goolsbee fired for privately avowing what I've called "felicitous hypocrisy" about NAFTA. Will Hillary succeed... MORE
Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings
Bryan Caplan
Suppose you're writing a popular book. You expect to finish in two years. Your goal is to maximize sales of the book. What's your optimal blogging strategy? Don't mention it until the book is about to be released? Tireless self-promotion... MORE
April 7, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
Kerry Howley has some thoughtful doubts about my ongoing debate with Will Wilkinson. And happily they're easy to address one at a time: 1. Here's Kerry:I’m perplexed, though, by Bryan’s statement that “most people are hyper-aware of the important arguments... MORE
April 6, 2008
Economic History
Bryan Caplan
Remember last year's blogosphere debate on whether FDR was an "American Mugabe"? I just came across a 1997 piece by Robert Higgs that I should have been quoting in my defense. But late is better than never. His thesis:In retrospect... MORE
Politics and Economics
Bryan Caplan
Don Boudreaux raises a deep question I've often asked myself:But if I were a pro-regulation and high-tax kinda guy, why would I dispute the claim that America's economy has performed remarkably well for everyone even since 1973? Why would I... MORE
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
Once again, Arnold is going overboard in his opposition to happiness research. It's one thing to say that (a) "happiness" has more than one meaning, or (b) that there's more to life than happiness, or (c) that a longer time... MORE
April 5, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
Will Wilkinson has a lot to say about my views about kids - and as you know, I'm never one to avoid a friendly debate. So get ready for my point-by-point reply: 1. Will says I misintepreted his original point.... MORE
April 4, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
At risk of provoking more psycho-analysis... In 1996, the GSS asked: If the husband in a family wants children, but the wife decides that she does not want any children, is it all right for the wife to refuse to... MORE
April 3, 2008
Economics and Culture
Bryan Caplan
All-around nice guy Will Wilkinson takes me to task for my defense of Jamie-Lynn Spears. Will starts with a little psycho-analysis:But I’m afraid the theory is at bottom mostly a theory of why Bryan thinks his wife should have more... MORE
Austrian Economics
Bryan Caplan
Here's a fair comment on my last post:Then you need to rewrite your article to say "Why I am a moderate Austrian" rather than why you are not an Austrian. Then you could get the substance right, even if you... MORE
April 2, 2008
Economic Methods
Bryan Caplan
Here are my two Laws of Fundamentalism: 1. In any textual dispute between fundamentalists and moderates of the same creed, the fundamentalists are almost always correct. 2. In any substantive dispute between fundamentalists and moderates of the same creed, the... MORE
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
A reader sent me an excerpt from a fascinating interview with Hitler (by one Major Josef Hell) on why he singled out the Jews for extermination:When I now broached the question of what the source of his so strongly felt... MORE
April 1, 2008
Behavioral Economics and Rationality
Bryan Caplan
This speech by Robert Higgs has a remarkable discussion of Hermann Göring's analysis of war and public opinion:This account comes to us from Gustave M. Gilbert, the German-speaking prison psychologist who had free access to all of the prisoners during... MORE
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