Items by acarden

• Apply for a Humane Studies Fellowship

  —Division of Labour

  One of my corporate paymasters friends at the Institute for Humane Studies asked me to pass along information on the Humane Studies Fellowship. If you're a graduate student or if you plan to be one someday, these are great. The deadline is December 31, 2009....' [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 2:13pm EST
  by acarden

• In Honor of Final Exams, Here's XKCD

  —Division of Labour

  One of my favorite XKCD strips recounts one of my recurring nightmares. It's especially appropriate as final exams are almost upon us (NB: a bit of salty language). Addendum: here's an offbeat take on B2B Christmas gifts from Jeff Tucker.... [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 10:22am EST
  by acarden

• Tuesday Wisdom from Hayek

  —Division of Labour

  I'm prepping for the last meeting of Econ 339 this semester and, in light of some student questions, I'm re-reading Hayek's Nobel Address. This stands out: “…the economists are at this moment called upon to say how to extricate the free world from the serious threat of accelerating inflation which, [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2009, 9:59am EST
  by acarden

• What I've Been Reading Lately: An Application to Climategate

  —Division of Labour

  I'm sorry Tyler Cowen isn't going to get past the first hundred pages of Gordon S. Wood's Empire of Liberty. I would encourage him to read the part beginning on page 150 for an intriguing account of how Thomas Jefferson and James Madison persuaded poet Philip Freneau to start and [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 10:32pm EST
  by acarden

• On "Conspicuous Compassion"

  —Division of Labour

  Here's a PDF of the first chapter of Patrick West's Conspicuous Compassion, via Merlin Mann's Kung Fu Grippe Blog (ht: Will Wilkinson). Co-blogger Wilson Mixon has described this as "better to feel good than to do good" on a number of occasions. Addendum: I wrote about the economics of anonymous [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 10:44am EST
  by acarden

• Salvador Allende's Potemkin Interwebs

  —Division of Labour

  Apropos Bob's and my paper on human rights and economic liberalization, here's a great post by Alex Tabarrok on Salvador Allende's attempts to solve the problem of economic calculation in the socialist commonwealth with some technological wizardry. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. It's too soon, but [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 9:19am EST
  by acarden

• Modifiers for Good and Bad

  —Division of Labour

  F.A. Hayek once said that you can take any concept and make it meaningless by modifying it with "social." "Justice," for example, is meaningful. "Social justice" is not. Along the same lines, you can take something innocuous and turn it into something scary and bad by modifying it with "foreign." [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 9:43pm EST
  by acarden

• First Degree Price Discrimination FAIL

  —Division of Labour

  see more Epic Fails Source: Failblog.org.... [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 11:38am EST
  by acarden

• Guest Post: Mike Hammock on Climategate

  —Division of Labour

  Here's a guest post by my friend Mike Hammock on the Climategate scandal. I asked Mike to weigh in because he always has something thoughtful to say about things like this and because I've learned most of my environmental economics by talking to him over three years of lunches at' [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 9:15am EST
  by acarden

• Building Brand Equity: Links for Radio Free Market Tomorrow at 1:00

  —Division of Labour

  I'll be live on Radio Free Market tomorrow at 1:00 CST to talk about why capitalism is so unpopular. Here are a few links that might be interesting to readers and listeners. Forgive the conspicuous product placements and self-citations, but most of what I'll say during the interview will be [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 5:05pm EST
  by acarden

• What (Bob Lawson and) I Have Been Writing Lately: Human Rights and Economic Liberalization

  —Division of Labour

  Carden, Art and Robert A. Lawson. 2009. Human Rights and Economic Liberalization, under review at Business and Politics. This paper has made the rounds at a handful of conferences and is finally available. Thanks to everyone who has offered comments and suggestions. The abstract: Using several case studies and data [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 12:17pm EST
  by acarden

• No Free Lunch: Education

  —Division of Labour

  In the spirit of some of Bob's posts (below), Neal McCluskey offers the following on student protests about increased college tuition: There’s a word for this kind of activism, and it’s not “idealism” or anything else so complimentary. It’s “rent seeking.” Or, if you want to put it more bluntly, [...]
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  Posted: December 04, 2009, 9:55am EST
  by acarden

• A Terrifying Message from Al Gore

  —Division of Labour

  We start talking about externalities in econ 101 today.... [...]
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  Posted: December 01, 2009, 2:28pm EST
  by acarden

• Cavalcade of Miscellany: A Deep Breath on Monday Morning

  —Division of Labour

  1. I'm finishing a paper co-authored with Bob Lawson. If I don't send it to him by the end of the day, I will mail a check for $50 to the Auburn University Athletics Department. 2. An oxymoron: "trade war." 3. As this semester winds down, I'm reflecting on what' [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2009, 10:38am EST
  by acarden

• Cavalcade of Miscellany: Sunday Morning!

  —Division of Labour

  1. Wireless internet + incredibly sleepy/grumpy kid = attending church via teh interwebs. 2. Here's Ian Ayres on why tuition hikes at California's state colleges and universities are a good thing. Cheap state colleges and universities redistribute wealth upward. In the opening section The Bourgeois Virtues, Deirdre McCloskey notes that [...]
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  Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:39pm EST
  by acarden

• The Funniest Thing I've Heard Over Thanksgiving Break

  —Division of Labour

  At breakfast this morning, I mentioned to my Dad that George W. Bush is going to start a free-market think tank. His response: "what are they going to call it? The Richard M. Nixon Economic Freedom Initiative?"... [...]
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  Posted: November 28, 2009, 11:32am EST
  by acarden

• Black Friday Price Discrimination

  —Division of Labour

  Is it separating consumers by marginal value/willingness to pay or by risk preference? Here's an article from this morning's Memphis Commercial Appeal. A choice quote: "My face was on fire the half hour I had to wait in line for the electronics counter, and there were several other customers who" [...]
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  Posted: November 27, 2009, 1:08pm EST
  by acarden

• The Minimum Wage: An Open Plea to My Friends on the Left

  —Division of Labour

  A few weeks ago, a friend posted a link to a story about how the NAACP is pressuring President Obama about African-American unemployment. Sadly and tragically, "repeal the minimum wage" is not one of their proposals even though the evidence suggests that it reduces employment and increases poverty. Here's an [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 8:34pm EST
  by acarden

• Questions on The Price of Everything

  —Division of Labour

  My econ 101 students have to write a review of Russ Roberts's The Price of Everything this semester. Some questions corresponding to each chapter are below the fold. Comments are open for a few days if you have any suggestions; if you like any of these questions, please feel free [...]
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  Posted: November 25, 2009, 4:48pm EST
  by acarden

• Cavalcade of Miscellany: On the Road Again...

  —Division of Labour

  1. The last week has been consumed by a burst of travel, exam grading, and other stuff (I now have a decent website in progress). On Monday, I debated the merits and demerits of Walmart with Stephan Goetz at Wake Forest. A good time was had by all, the questions [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 2:28pm EST
  by acarden

• Building Brand Equity: On Profit in Health Care

  —Division of Labour

  For the new issue of The Freeman.... [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 1:59pm EST
  by acarden

• Thinking Globally, Acting...Globally and Locally

  —Division of Labour

  Looking for a way to make a difference? Join Amnesty International's Annual Global Write-a-Thon (HT: Leigh Johnson). I'm going to write to American leaders on behalf of open borders. Here's (another) link to Lant Pritchett's Let Their People Come....' [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 11:52am EST
  by acarden

• Studies in Government FAIL

  —Division of Labour

  Bailout FAIL: Chrysler ends Electronic Vehicle Program (HT: David Zetland). Epic FAIL: Pfizer is leaving New London, CT. Susette Kelo's old neighborhood, which was expropriated for the benefit of Pfizer in order to bring in jobs and create tax revenue, is an empty lot (HT: David Zetland and Alex Tabarrok). [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2009, 2:15pm EST
  by acarden

• Science Funding

  —Division of Labour

  Here's an oldie-but-goodie from The Onion. I think a good first question for legislators to ask before they pass an appropriations bill would be "how many projects in this bill have all the wisdom of a monkey collider?"... [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 9:00pm EST
  by acarden

• Considering Socialism

  —Division of Labour

  Robert Higgs was on campus yesterday to discuss his book Depression, War, and Cold War; it was particularly poignant in light of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bryan Caplan's recent post on the Wall inspires me to consider (briefly) two myths about socialism: it works [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2009, 11:34am EST
  by acarden

• Remember, Remember, the Ninth of November: Democide in Perspective

  —Division of Labour

  R.J. Rummel estimates that approximately 262,000,000 people died at the hands of 20th century governments and notes that if the average height of a victim was five feet, the bodies laid end to end would circle the Earth ten times. Here's another calculation to put it in perspective. If the [...]
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  Posted: November 09, 2009, 12:20pm EST
  by acarden

• Never Again

  —Division of Labour

  Tomorrow marks the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It should be a day of celebration and a day of somber reflection. Here are some YouTube videos. Here's Bryan Caplan's Museum of Communism. Here's R.J. Rummel's website on democide. 11/9/09 Addendum: Here's Tyler Cowen. 11/9/09 Addendum 2:' [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 3:52pm EST
  by acarden

• Relativism: Lazy and Strong

  —Division of Labour

  My friend and colleague Dr. J writes what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite blogs, Readmorewritemorethinkmorebemore. She recently posted two interesting notes on lazy relativism and strong relativism. Here's my comment on the latter: And have you ever wondered if, like, what I see as "red" is what you [...]
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  Posted: November 08, 2009, 2:31pm EST
  by acarden

• Cavalcade of Miscellany: Capitalism, Food, and Health

  —Division of Labour

  1. Shannon is visiting my sister in Houston and Jacob is sick, so the papers I'm within epsilon of finishing will remain between epsilon and delta of being finished until later this week. Fortunately, there are things (like blog posts) I can work on in fits and starts. 2. Via' [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2009, 12:21pm EST
  by acarden

• Boudreaux on Voting

  —Division of Labour

  Here's Don Boudreaux on why he refuses to vote (HT Don Boudreaux). Perhaps non-voting can be an exercise in civic virtue: by abstaining, non-voters reduce congestion at the polls and make life easier for those who derive great satisfaction from voting. I've written on voting several times. Don's essay is' [...]
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  Posted: November 06, 2009, 12:52pm EST
  by acarden

• Roger Garrison at Rhodes Tomorrow Night

  —Division of Labour

  Roger Garrison is speaking at Rhodes tomorrow night on "Business Cycles and the Great Depression." His website contains some amazing resources on the Austrian theory of the trade cycle. He's also visiting my economic history class; for this I assigned his chapter on Austrian/capital-based macroeconomics and his Mises University lecture [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 9:31pm EST
  by acarden

• Party Like It's 1989: Anniversaries

  —Division of Labour

  Here's Richard Ebeling on what The Berlin Wall represented (HT: Richard Ebeling). Here's Ronald Reagan's 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate. Regardless of what you think of Reagan, this is an amazing speech. Not all is well, of course. Here's one of the most important (and moving) pictures ever taken. [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2009, 1:27pm EST
  by acarden

• Drugs: Should They Be Legal or Illegal?

  —Division of Labour

  Last week, I spoke to a class at Idlewild Presbyterian Church on the economics of drug prohibition. My notes are below the fold.... [...]
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  Posted: November 01, 2009, 4:04pm EST
  by acarden

• Cavalcade of Miscellany: Overcoming Bias in College Football Edition

  —Division of Labour

  1. I 2. I'm a big fan of Robin Hanson's blogging at Overcoming Bias, and I think there's an excellent opportunity to learn a lot about bias by studying college sports and, in particular, sports coverage. An announcer just said something about USC being the "best one-loss team in the'" [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 8:38pm EDT
  by acarden

• Sentence of the Day

  —Division of Labour

  I know I should grade these papers, but I can't tear myself away from teh interwebs or the Twilight Zone Championship Game (aka Iowa-Indiana). Here's the Mises Institute's Jeffrey Tucker: "Unlike at Christmas, where kids must only be good little citizens all year in order to be showered with gifts'" [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 4:13pm EDT
  by acarden

• Soros in Budapest, Roger Garrison at Rhodes

  —Division of Labour

  Blogging: it's the perfect distraction when a stack of ungraded papers is staring at you. Commentary has been circulating about the founding of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, which is being funded in part by George Soros. Here, for example, is Michael Giberson, and here is Michael Hirsh's Newsweek [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 3:05pm EDT
  by acarden

• What I've Been Writing Lately: Comment on Leeson

  —Division of Labour

  Here's a draft of my comment on Peter Leeson's The Invisible Hook, which I'm presenting in a symposium on the book at the Southern Economic Association meetings in San Antonio on November 23. The abstract: "In The Invisible Hook, Peter T. Leeson explores “the hidden economics of pirates.” The implications'" [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 12:48pm EDT
  by acarden

• Funny or Serious? Quotes from the Morning Paper

  —Division of Labour

  From this morning's Commercial Appeal, here's an editorial entitled "Voters deserve more than this." Here's a key passage: Whether Herenton is guilty of a federal offense or not, a comparison of his performance as the city's chief executive for 17½ years, compared to Cohen's performance as a state and federal [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 9:48am EDT
  by acarden

• Paragraph of the Day, So Far

  —Division of Labour

  Here's co-blogger Mike Munger on the most recent GDP report: "But all the increase is in G, financed by the increased deficit. It's fake. It's not real growth. It's just shifting money from taxpayers tomorrow into Obama's approval rating today."... [...]
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  Posted: October 30, 2009, 2:26pm EDT
  by acarden

• Fictional Character Quote of the Day

  —Division of Labour

  Call me a killjoy, but I think that because this is not to my taste, no one else should be able to enjoy it. -Marge Simpson on Ultimate Punching.... [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 1:39pm EDT
  by acarden

• The People's Romance and The Census

  —Division of Labour

  Here's an excellent post from Jim Fedako on the Census's programming for schools. Here's Daniel Klein on The People's Romance. Speaking of which, some surprising responses to my recent Mises.org article on tire tariffs have gotten me interested in the narrative of "national greatness" in the last few weeks. Some [...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 9:29am EDT
  by acarden

• File Under "Econ 101 Notes: Price Controls"

  —Division of Labour

  Here are questions 1c and 1d from Econ 101 Midterm #1, administered on October 8: c. People have debated whether the federal government should control executive pay. Use a supply and demand diagram to explain how binding controls would affect the market for executives. d. Does the price control increase [...]
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  Posted: October 23, 2009, 4:24pm EDT
  by acarden

• Inflation, Institutional Decay, and the Evolution of a Cliche

  —Division of Labour

  1969: "Good intentions and a quarter will get you a cup of coffee." 1989: "Good intentions and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee." 2009: "Good intentions and two dollars will get you a cup of coffee." 2029: "Good intentions, twenty dollars, the appropriate ration stamps, two copies" [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 2:22pm EDT
  by acarden

• Can You Hook Me Up? Drug Legalization Bleg

  —Division of Labour

  On Sunday, I'm speaking to a church group on the economics of drug legalization. Most of my arguments will rely on Mark Thornton's The Economics of Prohibition, the recent IEA book on prohibition edited by John Meadowcroft, and the 1996 Miron & Zweibel paper on the economics of prohibition. If' [...]
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  Posted: October 21, 2009, 10:47am EDT
  by acarden

• Mrs. Carden's Food Blog

  —Division of Labour

  My wife is chronicling her experiments in the kitchen on an interesting new food blog.... [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 10:48pm EDT
  by acarden

• The Onion on Aid Policy

  —Division of Labour

  Someday, I plan to write a book called Onionomics, which will look at basic economic principles through the eyes of Onion articles and videos. This video will be featured prominently in the chapter on foreign aid and signaling. How Can We Raise Awareness In Darfur Of How Much We're Doing' [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 12:34pm EDT
  by acarden

• They Allowed This on PBS?!

  —Division of Labour

  HT: Tom Woods.... [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 12:51am EDT
  by acarden

• They Allowed This on PBS?! (updated)

  —Division of Labour

  HT: Tom Woods. Update: Steve Horwitz reminds me that he is guest-blogging for PBS's Nightly Business Report. So what does PBS stand for now? Praxeology Broadcasting Station? I'm expecting Ashton Kutcher to fling my office door open and explain that I've been punk'd....' [...]
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  Posted: October 20, 2009, 12:51am EDT
  by acarden

• Rhodes Barbeque Seminar Blog

  —Division of Labour

  Here's the official blog of the Rhodes College Barbeque Seminar, organized by mathematician and voting theorist Eric Gottlieb. Our first outing (to Payne's) was successful. I still owe Eric money, so this is my credible commitment to pay him plus interest ASAP....' [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 1:15pm EDT
  by acarden

• Marginal Analysis Misses a Foothold at the TSA

  —Division of Labour

  This is a reasonably accurate depiction of my internal monologue every time I go through airport security, though I didn't know that about laptop batteries:...' [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 11:12am EDT
  by acarden

• I Buy Stuff: The Mises Silver Coin

  —Division of Labour

  I bought ten of these last week. I'm keeping some of them and will probably give a few away as gifts (nothing says "Merry Christmas" like honest money bearing the visage of Ludwig von Mises). One is currently in my office, propped up against a chunk of the Berlin Wall.' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 6:24pm EDT
  by acarden

• What I've Been Writing Lately: Opportunity Cost of Voting Edition

  —Division of Labour

  At Forbes.com, I argue that we should repeal the minimum wage.... [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 3:55pm EDT
  by acarden

• And the Winner Is...

  —Division of Labour

  ...in the Division of Labour "Should I vote in the Memphis Mayoral Election? Essay Contest": Brent Butgereit, a Rhodes student (and the peer tutor for my econ 101 classes) whose entry comparing voting to cheering at a football game is below the fold. The takeaway point: "so should you vote?" [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 1:21pm EDT
  by acarden

• There's an Election Tomorrow?!

  —Division of Labour

  Here's Geoff Calkins from the Memphis Commercial Appeal on the extremely low turnout for early voting in tomorrow's mayoral election. You have until 6:00 AM tomorrow to submit via email a 250-500 word essay explaining why I should or shouldn't vote in tomorrow's mayoral election. There is a valuable prize' [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2009, 11:03am EDT
  by acarden

• Elinor Ostrom on the Commons

  —Division of Labour

  Here's recently-crowned Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom on voluntary management of the commons. Ostrom's win can be considered a win for the Hayekian worldview as opposed to the Samuelsonian worldview. HT: Brian Hollar.... [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2009, 11:57am EDT
  by acarden

• What I've Been Writing Lately: Tires, Trade, and Comparative Advantage

  —Division of Labour

  Here. In the comments on the Mises Blog, I'm advised to "take [my] globalist cr@p" elsewhere. I confess I'm at a loss for the appropriate outlet for my globalist cr@p--if not the website of an institution bearing the name of an economist who thought Ricardo's law of comparative advantage is [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 11:04am EDT
  by acarden

• On the Ostrom and Williamson Nobel

  —Division of Labour

  I've been rooting for Gordon Tullock to win the Nobel for as long as I can remember, but I can't say I'm surprised or disappointed that this year's prize went to Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson. In fact, I'm thrilled. Arnold Kling offers an excellent summary of the Ostrom and [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 10:15am EDT
  by acarden

• On the Economics Nobel

  —Division of Labour

  Here are Bob Subrick's predictions (HT: Scott Beaulier). Bob suggests a possible prize for Gordon Tullock, Anne Krueger, and Jagdish Bhagwati for their work on rent-seeking. I've been rooting for Tullock for a long time, and I think that now more than ever he deserves the prize. By and large,' [...]
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  Posted: October 10, 2009, 11:51am EDT
  by acarden

• Guest Blogger: Ludwig von Mises on Reason and Error

  —Division of Labour

  We are honored to celebrate both the 250th anniversary of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and the 60th anniversary of Human Action with a guest post from Ludwig von Mises, below the fold. The post is excerpted from Human Action and published here. This is going to go into my [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 2:39pm EDT
  by acarden

• Michael Moore and Capitalism (Updated)

  —Division of Labour

  Here he makes a couple of crucial admissions in this clip featuring a great question from Chad Swarthout, a student at George Washington University and a participant in the Institute for Humane Studies "Liberty and Society" Summer Seminar I taught at last summer. Sadly, Moore doesn't realize that the "ideal"' [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 2:12pm EDT
  by acarden

• Nobel Anecdote (Updated)

  —Division of Labour

  Here's an entry from Greg Mankiw that reminds me of an exchange from Grad School. I was Douglass C. North's TA and RA from 2002-2005. Around the beginning of 2003, he knocked on my door and said that he had to nominate someone for the economics Nobel. Before he could [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 11:17am EDT
  by acarden

• The Revolution Will be Facebooked: Reactions to the Obama Nobel

  —Division of Labour

  I must admit I was surprised by Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. It increased the probability with which I believe the timing of Krugman's economics prize was in part politically motivated. Here are some FB status updates from people on my "friends" list reacting to the prize, in no particular order [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 11:04am EDT
  by acarden

• Best Blog Title I've Read Today

  —Division of Labour

  "Too Big To Bail," from this testimonial about the Mises Institute and Austrian Economics.... [...]
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  Posted: October 09, 2009, 10:19am EDT
  by acarden

• Another Division of Labour Essay Contest on Voting

  —Division of Labour

  On October 15, Memphians will choose a new mayor in a special election. I'm deep in the same moral and intellectual crisis that faces me every election: should I vote? I decided that (once again) I will farm this out to Division of Labour readers. I'll offer a prize of [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 10:35am EDT
  by acarden

• Pyramid Schemes in Memphis

  —Division of Labour

  Here's the letter I mentioned a few days ago on what we might do about the Memphis Pyramid, published in this morning's Memphis Commercial Appeal: "How about a boondoggle museum I read your Oct. 5 article about debates over what to do with The Pyramid with some interest (“Plans for" [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 10:23am EDT
  by acarden

• Tonight: "The Legacy of Adam Smith and the Future of Capitalism"

  —Division of Labour

  If you're in the Memphis area and you're looking for something to do this evening, Rhodes is hosting a Symposium on "The Legacy of Adam Smith and the Future of Capitalism" through the Project for the Study of Liberal Democracy. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith's The [...]
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  Posted: October 08, 2009, 10:12am EDT
  by acarden

• Thoughts from a Dull Moment: Frank Steindl on Endogenous Propagation

  —Division of Labour

  Office entropy is out of control, so I'm spending part of the--I was going to say morning, but it's now afternoon--cleaning up. Here's a paper that we'll read in econ 339 later in the semester: Frank Steindl's "What Ended the Great Depression? It Was Not World War II," which has [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 2:24pm EDT
  by acarden

• Interview on Radio Free Market

  —Division of Labour

  Here's an interview I did with Radio Free Market during Mises U at the beginning of August and broadcast on September 25.... [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 11:20am EDT
  by acarden

• Hanson and Easterly On Aid and Charity

  —Division of Labour

  Filtered through warped minds at The Onion: I'm going to assume there's a lot of overlap between readers of DoL, Easterly's Aid Watch, and Hanson's Overcoming Bias. Easterly and Hanson are two of my favorite scholars, and they offer complementary views on aid. Easterly argues that a lot of aid' [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2009, 10:40am EDT
  by acarden

• Boettke and Caplan on Austrian Economics (Brought to you by Carl's Jr.)

  —Division of Labour

  Here are two of my favorite economists, Peter Boettke and Bryan Caplan, debating Austrian economics. It's a 13-part video, which raises a question: I have a video of Deirdre McCloskey's lecture at Rhodes, but YouTube won't take it. How can I cut it up, or where can I put the' [...]
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  Posted: October 06, 2009, 10:03am EDT
  by acarden

• Coase on a Plane

  —Division of Labour

  I'm cleaning out some old notes and I came across the following, which might someday be a question I would ask on an exam or in a job interview: Crying babies and loud children are among the common complaints of frequent flyers; indeed, I can say from personal experience that' [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2009, 2:44pm EDT
  by acarden

• The Memphis Pyramid

  —Division of Labour

  This morning's Memphis Commercial Appeal had an article about what to do with the Pyramid, the empty basketball arena in Memphis that will reflect sunlight directly into your eyes if you're approaching downtown on North Parkway at the right time of day. They've been talking about this at least since [...]
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  Posted: October 05, 2009, 10:49am EDT
  by acarden

• On Human Action, Continued

  —Division of Labour

  I was hoping others would jump into the discussion. Emily Schaeffer does. In the process of an excellent discussion, she points out (correctly, in my view) that what Mises is doing is laying out everything that is prior to observation. Per co-blogger Ed Lopez's suggestion, comments are open.... [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2009, 9:51am EDT
  by acarden

• Responding to Noel's Challenge

  —Division of Labour

  Co-blogger Noel has taken issue with Human Action. I propose that we settle this in the manner that Austrian economists and Austrian sympathizers settle such things: pistols at ten paces at the Southern Economic Association meetings. I'll email Tony Carilli from the Society for the Development of Austrian Economics to' [...]
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  Posted: October 03, 2009, 9:26am EDT
  by acarden

• An Interesting Abstract: Do Markets Make Us More or Less Trusting and Trustworthy?

  —Division of Labour

  Here's the abstract from this paper (gated). I find this interesting and compelling in light of the anti-capitalist critique of markets as dehumanizing, atomizing institutions. I look forward to reading the paper. This paper documents a strong positive relationship between individual reported trust levels (obtained from the US General Social [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 3:52pm EDT
  by acarden

• Forgot One...

  —Division of Labour

  I just saw a note to myself to add Steven Pinker's discussion of violence to my list-o-links from the "Think Global, Act Local" panel. Here's his TED Talk, and here's an article based on that talk. The list has been updated, too.... [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 8:07pm EDT
  by acarden

• Think Globally, Act Locally: References and Readings (Revised)

  —Division of Labour

  I spoke as part of a faculty panel last night on thinking globally and acting locally. I've updated the list-o-links I assembled a a couple of weeks ago in light of our discussion; an updated list is below the fold....' [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 12:42pm EDT
  by acarden

• Calculation and Action: Descriptive of Prescriptive?

  —Division of Labour

  As part of last night's "Think Global, Act Local" panel at Rhodes, we had a discussion of the motives for action. Here's an assessment by one of my co-panelists, who nails it. The panel illustrated nicely some of the points Thomas Sowell makes in A Conflict of Visions. The students [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2009, 12:08pm EDT
  by acarden

• On Football's Taj Mahal

  —Division of Labour

  Here's a letter I sent to the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch a few days ago re: Cowboys Stadium: "I read Bernie Miklasz's recent column on the new Cowboys stadium with some interest. I too am appalled, but not because of the video board or the plush amenities. I'm appalled because taxpayers'" [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 10:45pm EDT
  by acarden

• Star Wars Technology and Childbirth

  —Division of Labour

  In the technologically advanced Star Wars universe, how did they not know that Padme was carrying twins? Yoda said that the dark side clouds everything--are we to assume that means the sonogram machine, as well?... [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 7:28pm EDT
  by acarden

• What's the Point of Capitalism, or, Has Hayek Missed a Foothold?

  —Division of Labour

  Michael Maiello makes the mistake of conflating free-market capitalism with state corporatism; my fear is that many with leftish sympathies are going to see Moore's movie and throw the capitalist baby out with the statist bathwater. Actually, strike that. I'm afraid they're going to throw the capitalist baby out and [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 5:54pm EDT
  by acarden

• XKCD Learn-a-Long

  —Division of Labour

  1. Say it with me: transaction costs! One more time! 2. I'm speaking on a faculty panel on "What's Wrong With the World?" tomorrow night as part of "Think Global, Act Local" week. I hope this doesn't happen, but I probably wouldn't be able to keep a straight face if' [...]
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  Posted: September 28, 2009, 4:56pm EDT
  by acarden

• Hernando de Soto on the Power of the Poor

  —Division of Labour

  HT: Josh McCabe at The Sociological Imagination.... [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2009, 12:35pm EDT
  by acarden

• Leeson on The Invisible Hook

  —Division of Labour

  Here's a Fox Business interview with Peter Leeson on The Invisible Hook. If you're attending the Southern Economic Association meetings in San Antonio, Session 01J is a symposium on Pete's book featuring comments from me, Charles North, Per Bylund, and Virgil Storr along with Pete's response. The symposium is on' [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2009, 10:26am EDT
  by acarden

• Great Moments in Economics Homework Typos

  —Division of Labour

  For a sheet of problems on supply and demand and comparative advantage, I usually include "Consult the sheet I passed on [DATE] for the definitions of a 'surplus' and a 'shortage.'" This semester, I eliminated the date and meant to write "Consult the sheet I passed out during our discussion..." [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2009, 5:34pm EDT
  by acarden

• Global Debt Clock

  —Division of Labour

  Here is a global debt clock that enables handy comparisons across countries. I was struck by the differences in public debt per capita and public debt as a percentage of GDP in the US, Canada, and France. I had thought the Canadian debt picture was better than the American debt [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 1:15pm EDT
  by acarden

• Money and Evil in the Bible and Atlas Shrugged

  —Division of Labour

  I re-read Francisco d'Anconia's money speak from Atlas Shrugged last night. I've been thinking about it a lot in light of Christian denunciations of "the love of money," which is either "the root of all evil" or "a root of all kinds of evil" depending on your particular translation. I [...]
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  Posted: September 20, 2009, 10:44am EDT
  by acarden

• We have socialized fire protection. Why not socialized medicine?

  —Division of Labour

  Some have invoked government provision of fire protection services as an apologetic for government provision of health services; indeed, there is at least one Facebook group devoted to it. I don't think it works. Here's http://www.econlib.org/library/Columns/Mcchesneyfire.html">Fred McChesney on how we got socialized fire protection, and here's http://www.jstor.org/pss/724362">his Journal of Legal' [...]
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  Posted: September 19, 2009, 10:59am EDT
  by acarden

• Another Reply to Krugman: David Levine

  —Division of Labour

  David K. Levine is writing a series of pieces for the Huffington Post. Particularly worth reading is his Open Letter to Paul Krugman.... [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 11:17pm EDT
  by acarden

• Economic History Resources: "Drunk History"

  —Division of Labour

  To be added to yesterday's list of history resources on YouTube, Drunk History. George Michael from "Arrested Development" gives a pretty good performance as Alexander Hamilton.... [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 6:34pm EDT
  by acarden

• References and Readings for "Think Globally, Act Locally"

  —Division of Labour

  Here are some links and readings on which I'm basing my remarks at the "Think Globally, Act Locally" faculty panel at Rhodes on September 29: 1. Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged. Rand demonstrates a clear understanding of the unintended consequences of policies and actions, and she shows in detail how intentions' [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 5:27pm EDT
  by acarden

• The Emerging Class Struggle

  —Division of Labour

  Report: Growing Ranks Of Nouveau Poor Facing Discrimination From Old Poor As always, The Onion nails it. This will have a page in Onionomics, which is my as-yet-undefined book on economics in the Onion that resides on my Someday/Maybe list and which I will write if no one beats me [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 2:54pm EDT
  by acarden

• Health Care and the Baucus Plan

  —Division of Labour

  Tyler Cowen and Uwe Reinhardt discuss health care plans.... [...]
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  Posted: September 18, 2009, 11:18am EDT
  by acarden

• Cowboys Stadium and Economic Development

  —Division of Labour

  ESPN oohs and aahs, calling it "Jerry Jones' creation" and "a tribute to excess." Instead of ruminating on the economics of stadiums--they're classic broken glass--I thought I would yield the floor to C. Montgomery Burns: Private playground sound bite... [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:38pm EDT
  by acarden

• Gus Rankings: Alabama is Tied for #1!

  —Division of Labour

  Matt Ryan posts the first edition of The Gus Rankings, with my Alabama Crimson Tide tied for #1 with something like half a dozen other teams. I like the basic idea of the Gus Rankings: you get a point for every game won by a team you beat, and you [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2009, 9:00pm EDT
  by acarden

• Milton Friedman on Health Care

  —Division of Labour

  Here's Milton Friedman, that flunky apologist for the rich and powerful...telling rich and powerful people that they should be less rich and less powerful (HT: Will Wilkinson). From the vault, here's my essay on Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine, which takes on new relevance given that Friedman is still getting [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2009, 8:21pm EDT
  by acarden

• Economic History: The Constitution

  —Division of Labour

  Over the summer, I had the privilege of meeting historian Gordon S. Wood at the Jack Miller Center's Summer Institute. There are a lot of videos of Professor Wood on teh interwebs in which he discusses the Revolution, the Constitution, and other matters. I wasn't familiar with the Gilder Lehrman' [...]
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  Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:28am EDT
  by acarden

• Economics and Health: Response to Forbes Piece

  —Division of Labour

  A reader sends an email to Steve Horwitz and me in response to our article commenting on Jane Smiley and gives us permission to post: Hello Gentlemen, I read your article. I found it very interesting and informative. I wanted to comment on one particular part of the article, but [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 7:10pm EDT
  by acarden

• Bumper Sticker Hilarity

  —Division of Labour

  Funny bumper stickers and t-shirts I've seen recently: 1. Driving to Rhodes today: "Midwives help people out!" 2. Rhodes parking lot, Monday: "Honk if I'm Paying Your Mortgage" 3. At DragonCon, this t-shirt.... [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 5:56pm EDT
  by acarden

• Media and Discourse

  —Division of Labour

  I'm working on a review of Tyler Cowen's Create Your Own Economy, and I thought this passage was pretty interesting even though it doesn't really fit into the review: "Media coverage brings similar problems of oversimplification. The tendency is to fit all facts into the format of a story, usually" [...]
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  Posted: September 16, 2009, 5:53pm EDT
  by acarden