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People: neither blithering idiots nor towering geniuses
Or is it that they’re both? As a young libertarian first exposed to economics (actually it was my third exposure where it took) I was struck with an exciting proposition: people don’t need the...
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Institutions and the GDP
Just playing around with the MIT’s Pantheon and the Development Economics (click on it to enlarge the plot). Well, I know correlation is not the end of the (hi)story. Maybe it’s just the starting...
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Around the Web
An excellent piece by Matt Steinglass in the Economist on John Kerry’s failure in regards to the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. I know Dr Shikida linked to this earlier, but I think it’s worth...
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Part Two of Capitalism for the Intelligent Ignorant: the Actors
Originally posted on FACTS MATTER:This is a little complicated. Part One of this series listed the main constraints on pure capitalism. Then, I took a detour – which was NOT Part Two – on the subject...
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Rational ignorance and institutions
I’m grading a question I gave to my class on rational ignorance so I’ve been restating myself repeatedly… and in doing so refining my view on rational ignorance. Here’s the basic story: an election is...
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From the Comments: What *are* the institutions that promote rational ignorance?
Rick answers my question: Let’s go a step further than institutions: Instincts.* Our ancestors survived a dangerous natural environment by taking on genetic strategies that allow us to use our...
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Property Rights in Africa: More Decentralization Please
From the economist Camilla Toulmin: While land registration is often proposed as a means of resolving disputes, the introduction of central registration systems may actually exacerbate them. Elite...
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Around the Web
Contrary to popular myth, Democrats are just as ideological as Republicans, and Republicans are just as group-centric Democrats The Rule of Karlowitz: Fiscal Change and Institutional Persistence (pdf)...
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Why is India so poor? A macro approach
India’s total area, in square kilometers, is 1,222,559 3,166,414. The total area of France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland,...
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Pesos, medidas e as instituições
Douglas Allen, em seu ótimo, The Institutional Revolution, defende a tese de que uma revolução institucional teria precedido a famosa revolução industrial. Texto importante, é que, para mim, já é...
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What’s Up with New Zealand?
Economist Scott Sumner’s 2010 piece on the unacknowledged success of neoliberalism (which I linked to yesterday and you should definitely read or reread) poses an interesting question: There are two...
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Fiscal Watch Dog, The Dutch Way
I still have not found a way to make a living out of international political theory that also satisfies my demands as consumer at numerous markets, not least the housing market. At this moment this...
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Myths of Sovereignty and British Isolation, 20. Concluding Remarks
This series (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16i, 16.ii, 17, 18, 19) has explored a number of ways in which those who support a very sovereign United Kingdom completely separate from...
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How does emigration impact institutions?
Hello everyone. As usual I’ve come to ask for feedback on my latest research. I can’t emphasize enough how much it helps to blog it out, if only because it forces me to sit down and try to summarize...
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BC’s weekend reads
Worldwide weeds The Mushroom That Explains the World …True Tales of Dharma, Demons, and Darwin From Spain to the New World via Florence and Vermont (be sure to scroll through the ‘comments’ thread)...
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From the Comments: Money, Currency, and Bitcoins
Dr Gibson chimes in on Chhay Lin‘s most recent post about bitcoins (I hope there will be more): “Unspent dollars means reduced sales, and as sales decline, profits drop, layoffs increase, and the total...
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Good Health Will End Civilization
Good health and decisive minds. With maybe about 5% probability. We’re far more likely to destroy ourselves with war or stupidity, but knowledge could do us in too. The basic problem is that as our...
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Does the EU promote liberalization?
This is in response to Brandon’s earlier post asking for literature on the EU’s effect on promoting liberalization. The short reply is the EU promotes liberalization – sometimes. Below are two pieces...
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The State versus Society, Part 12,908
Taken together, the evidence suggests that the Kuba state is associated with a deterioration of intrinsic motivations to follow the rules. This does not mean that the Kuba Kingdom was not a successful...
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What is a nation?
I know Michelangelo has already asked and answered this question, and NOL has dealt extensively with “the nation” before, but: Nations are now defined not as races or peoples but by their possession of...
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