A new study confirms what many had concluded about the “cash for clunkers” program: It failed. Here’s the abstract: A key rationale for fiscal stimulus is to boost consumption when aggregate demand is perceived to be inefficiently low. We examine the ability of the government to increase consumption by evaluating the impact of the 2009 […]
Archive | 2010
The University-Industrial Complex:
Roy Poses at Health Care Renewal has been tracking an issue that has come to bother me as well–the increasing corporatization of the university. I’ve noted it in the context of the idea of CEO-style university presidents and the conflicts of interest that arise with business leaders (and especially investment bankers) serving as university trustees. […]
Deja Vu
Inside the GOP, a woman who doesn’t have a lot of experience has been nominated for a prominent Washington job. The conservative movement is divided, and lots of infighting ensues. Some conservatives think the nominee just isn’t qualified, and they oppose her on that basis. Her supporters respond that those who think she isn’t qualified […]
Why Is Sovereign Default a Threat to the Euro?
Query. If Greece were to default on its sovereign euro-denominated debt, I understand the massive disruptions and disasters that could cause in so many ways, ranging from hits to the banks holding the debt, to so many other things. What I am not sure I understand is how a sovereign default of euro-denominated Greek government […]
Interesting Rule 702 Causation Case
In Tamraz v. Lincoln Electric Co., the Sixth Circuit recently overturned a district court verdict awarding $20 million to a plaintiff who claimed that his manganese exposure in the workplace led to his Parkinson’s disease. Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote an excellent opinion for the majority. Judge Boyce Martin dissented. Judge Sutton and Judge Martin both […]
A Condensed Guide to Supreme Court Histories
Over at Balkinization, Mark Graber has an amusing guide to Supreme Court histories written by Supreme Court Justices and wannabees.
Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in the Hotter World
Climate change will pose major challenges for nations around the world. The risks to the agriculture sector from heat waves and drought have been well studied by economists. My new book titled Climatopolis (Basic Books 2010) focuses on how cities around the world will cope with climate change. I am not a climate scientist. Instead, […]
Should Genetically Modified Salmon Be Labeled?
The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to approve genetically modified salmon for human consumption. Aquabounty Technologies has submitted its “AquAdvantage” salmon, an Atlantic salmon genetically engineered to mature faster than wild salmon, for FDA approval. Thus far, things look good for Aquabounty, as the FDA’s staff review concluded that AquAdvantage salmon are as […]
Matthew Kahn, Guest-Blogging
I’m delighted to report that my UCLA colleague Prof. Matthew Kahn will be guest-blogging again next week. Prof. Kahn is a Professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment, Department of Economics, and the Department of Public Policy, the author of (among other books) Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment, and the author of […]
“Next Time Your Liberal Friends Talk About the Separation of Church and State, Ask Them Why They’re Nazis”
From the Republican candidate for the House of Representatives from Delaware, Glen Urquhart (see Raw Story for the video). Urquhart later said, “I didn’t mean to suggest — and I am not suggesting — that people who are liberals are Nazis”; I take it he means that the quote was hyperbole or humor. But the […]
“Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” Author Goes Underground
Seattle Weekly, via Althouse: [O]n the insistence of top security specialists at the FBI, she is… moving, changing her name, and essentially wiping away her identity… in effect, being put into a witness-protection program—except, as she notes, without the government picking up the tab. It’s all because of the appalling fatwa issued against her this […]
Dirtier Dishes, Cleaner Lakes
The NYT reports on the mixed consumer reactions to “environmentally friendly,” low-phospate dishwashing detergents. Consumer produce manufacturers have begun selling low-phosphate detergents in response to laws in several states requiring product reformulation. The article also notes that the environmental benefits of reformulated products can depend on how consumers respond. Low-flow toilets don’t save as much […]
Sunday Song Lyric
The Kennedy Center will honor country legend Merle Haggard at the 33rd annual Kennedy Center honors this December. Now in his seventies, Haggard has had a remarkable — and remarkably influential — music career. Though he has a new album, I’d rather highlight one of his oldies, “The Bottle Let Me Down,” from 1966, a […]
Before Making an Assertion About English Usage, How About Looking It Up?
A commenter writes, Actually, anyone with a brain disrespects all of rap and anyone in it. In mitigation, those of us who can actually speak and write English have accepted the black verb “disrespect,” which itself would be laughed out of existence but for the constant threat of black rioting. No justice, no peace. The […]
Contractions vs. Spelled-Out Versions
We usually think of contractions, such as “it’s” or “can’t,” as directly interchangeable with the full versions, such as “it is” or “cannot.” You can just replace “it’s” with “it is,” or vice versa. Both versions are commonly used, both have the same meaning, and the difference is just in degree of formality. But in […]