Economists 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 …
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By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Initiative on Global Markets, University of Chicago | Category: Economic Theory, Quick Takes |
 Leave a commentThe trend toward wireless voice calling at prices more akin to data plan pricing continued this week with the unveiling of AT&T’s Call International App. The free app (which works on most of AT&T’s smartphones) dramatically cuts the cost of voice rates when the phone is connected to … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: apps, AT&T, smartphones | Category: Quick Takes, Telecommunications Regulation |
Leave a commentIf you haven’t heard John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas’ official climatologist (and therefore adviser to Rick Perry on the subject of climate change), check out his views. They’re startling only in the sense that they follow directly from the mainstream science — a suspect position these days in … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: climatology, John Nielsen-Gammon, Rick Perry, Texas | Category: Climate Change, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentNetflix, recovering from the loss of its content deal with Starz, is going to pay heaps to stream movies from Dreamworks. As Netflix subscribers, we’re pleased. But as regulatory economists, we’re worried. Now that Netflix is being forced to swim in the deep water with a … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Dreamworks, Netflix, streaming video | Category: Internet regulation, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentMore patents are being granted in more countries than ever before. No shock there. What may surprise, though, is that the average quality of patents (as defined by a plausible index maintained by the OECD) has fallen significantly in the last decade. One possible explanation: more patents are … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: OECD, patent trolls, patents | Category: Intellectual Property, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentMichael Levi’s September 14th post on the Council on Foreign Relations site examines whether switching from coal to natural gas could make a decisive difference in climate change projections. You’ll be surprised by his analysis, if not his conclusions. By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: coal, Council on Foreign Relations, methane, Michael Levi, natural gas | Category: Climate Change, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentStill wondering why Google spent $12.5 billion and risked antitrust scrutiny in buying Motorola — at best, a come-back kid in the hypercompetitive world of smartphones and tablets? Wonder no more: Google is already using patents it obtained in the deal to defend an ally, handset maker HTC … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Antitrust, Apple, Google, HTC, Motorola, patents | Category: Intellectual Property, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentJoe Nocera has a startling column in The New York Times condemning the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to label Boeing’s decision to move part of its production capacity to anti-union South Carolina as an unfair labor practice. Coming from almost anybody else, we’d assume there were two … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Boeing, Dreamliner, National Labor Relations Board | Category: Labor Market Regulation, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentA federal appellate court in Atlanta has ruled (in a split decision) that the individual mandate in the health care law is unconstitutional. Seems the majority believes that the interstate commerce clause doesn’t apply. So what happens If the Supreme Court—where the case is surely heading—agrees with Atlanta? … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: Affordable Care Act, Ezra Klein, individual mandate, interstate commerce clause | Category: Health Care Reform, Quick Takes |
Leave a commentAre regulatory costs overestimated or underestimated by academics and government types? Depends on the case, of course. But the conventional wisdom is that the bias is toward overestimation because, when push comes to shove, industry finds cheaper ways to the job done. In a new paper, though, EPA … By Robert Hahn, Peter Passell | Tags: benefit-cost, David Simpson, Environmental Protection Agency | Category: Cost-Benefit Analysis, Quick Takes |
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