Hernando De Soto, the Peruvian social scientist best known for the insight that shining a light on the underground economy is key to growth in poor countries, writes in the Financial Times that capitalism needs to be “rediscovered.” De Soto, like Friedrich Hayek the long-gone Austrian economist who’s enjoying a resurgence …
|
|||||
|
By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: capitalism, Friedrich Hayek, Hernando de Soto, transparency | Category: Economic Theory |
 Leave a commentEconomists aren’t taken very seriously these days for a variety of reasons — not least of which is the dumbing down of the profession, a process that has paralleled the general democratization of expertise in the era of 24/7 cable news. If you still want to know what the very … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Initiative on Global Markets, University of Chicago | Category: Economic Theory, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentIt may be spring for most Egyptians, but this is definitely former Egyptian president Mubarak’s winter of discontent: the deposed dictator and his two sons will face murder charges. We certainly sympathize with Egypt’s determination to hold them accountable; still we wonder whether the precedent is good for … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Arab Spring, Hosni Mubarak, Ronald Coase | Category: Economic Theory |
Leave a commentWNYC, New York’s NPR station, produces a consistently fascinating popular science show called Radiolab. And happily, “science” occasionally includes economics. One recent segment, “One Good Deed Deserves Another” (download or stream podcast here), describes some of the early computer simulations by the University of Michigan’s Robert … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: evolution, game theory, Radiolab, Robert Axelrod, WNYC | Category: Economic Theory, Quick Takes |
Leave a comment“Deflation is a bigger threat than inflation,” concludes the headline for an excellent piece by economist Gavyn Davies in the Financial Times. Perhaps. But there should be two parts to an assessment of threats like this. First, estimate the probability of the event (e.g., deflation), and then estimate … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: deflation, Financial Times, Gavyn Davies | Category: Economic Theory, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentOne day, possibly soon, someone will likely receive a Nobel prize for auction design. Amend that: another Nobel Prize. William Vickrey received one in 1996 for work in this area, and in 2007 Leonid Hurwicz, Eric Maskin and Roger Myerson were honored for related work. But this field is smokin’; … |
   |
||||
|
Copyright © 2012 regulation2point0 - All Rights Reserved |
|||||
