Archive for the ‘Microeconomics and policy analysis’ Category

January 25th, 2012

UCLA public policy students have solved an apparently insoluble problem: how to regulate and tax at the state level something that remains a federal felony.

January 12th, 2012

Love this account of a pissing match between Warren Buffett and Mitch McConnell.  The Senator from Kentucky has been urging the Sage of Omaha to make voluntary contributions to the Treasury if he felt he was undertaxed.  Buffett has now responded that he’ll match any such contributions made by Republican Senators. This dialogue makes in [...]

December 5th, 2011

Hotels are willing to pay me if I accept less frequent maid service. I approve.

November 10th, 2011

James Heckman’s policy proposal offers the long term benefits of increased economic growth and reduced income inequality.  To misquote Meatloaf, “2 out of 3 ain’t bad”.  What do we do in the short term?   Europe’s Southern nations should sell some of their unique assets (such as their tourist sites) to China and Germany to [...]

August 27th, 2011

Yes, your cell phone does more stuff now than it used to, and that change belongs in the GDP deflator. But your customer-service experience is much worse than it used to be. That change also belongs in the GDP deflator.

August 16th, 2011

Jacksonville, Florida has avoided it so successfully that residents who find rabid animals in their yards are completely on their own. After all, freedom includes the freedom to get rabies.

August 11th, 2011

Megan McArdle wants to know how trucking fuel economy standards could be justified. Answer: fuel efficiency benefits oil consumers as a group at the expense of oil producers.

July 28th, 2011

An individual’s criminal history, criminal habits, or criminal associates constitute negative personal social capital.
The overall level of criminal activity by, against, or (especially) within a group constitutes negative collective social capital

May 21st, 2011

One of the pleasures of living in the East Bay is the off-leash dog park at Point Isabel, where we will go with ours later today.  On the way home, the devil has placed a temptation. If there’s a parking place in the shade, we can stop at Costco and load up on staples at [...]

April 5th, 2011

Bob Greeinstein brings the big* numbers. Jon Cohn says what I would say about it. Jonathan Z was way ahead of me, again. Come to think of it, I say what I would say about Ryan’s Medicaid plan: Person-for-person, Medicaid is probably the leanest program in the American healthcare system. Unfortunately, Medicaid recipients are probably [...]