Flash Mob Attacks
Glenn Reynolds links to a Christian Science Monitor story on flash mobs made up of black teenagers. Cities mentioned are Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Chicago and Atlanta. Criminologists are quoted giving their usual explanations, including high unemployment. Black teenage unemployment is now about 40%. Don’t forget that the minimum wage was increased in July 2009 to $7.25 ... Flash Mob Attacks
More on Google and Antitrust
My op-ed on the Google antitrust issue with Tom Lenard is up on Forbes.com. Like others, we find that the FTC is overreaching.
China
There are many stories about unrest in China. Many factors are blamed for this unrest, including low wages, poor working conditions, and political factors. But there is one thing that is not generally mentioned: demographics. The one child policy coupled with a preference for males (due to both economic and cultural factors) means that there ... China
Reckless Endangerment
I just finished reading Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon by Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner. I really enjoyed the book. It reinforced my prejudices that the crash was caused by government policy overemphasizing home ownership and imposing inefficient goals on private lenders with respect to providing mortgages to ... Reckless Endangerment
Nashville Limo Regulation
Just got an email from Mark Meranta (who I do not know) from the Institute of Justice (which I do know and which does great work) on a new case they are filing in Nashville regarding anti-competitive regulation of the limousine industry (video here. ) The law apparently mandates a minimum price for limo service ... Nashville Limo Regulation
Medical Devices
The GAO has recently issued a report on medical devices. The thrust of the report is that “high-risk” medical devices do not receive enough scrutiny from the FDA and that recalls are not handled well. This report and other evidence indicates that the FDA is likely to require more testing of devices. As of now, ... Medical Devices
Atlas Shrugged
Just saw Atlas Shrugged. Very good — better than I thought. Highly recommended.
China land and bachelors
The New York Times has an interesting story about land markets in China. In order to get married a man needs to own property and land prices are very high in China. As it its habit, the Times blames “overeager developers who force residents out of old neighborhoods.” In fact, the Times gets it backwards. ... China land and bachelors
Stand Up Economist
For our department seminar last week the speaker was Yoram Bauman, the Stand Up Economist. Yoram is a serious economist with a Ph.D. from the University of Washington. He has been organizing a humor session at the AEA meetings (where my colleague Hugo Mialon presented his well known paper on Faking). What I want to ... Stand Up Economist
Dissention in antitrust agencies
The Wall Street Journal reports major conflicts between the DOJ and the FTC over antitrust jurisdiction. There are only two of them, and they are not subject to rules against collusion and open agreements. Nonetheless, they can’t get along and they cannot decide on market division. Maybe they will take this as information about ... Dissention in antitrust agencies
Medical Billing: A warning
Recently the Wall Street Journal had an article about medical billing errors. These can be very costly because they can impact your credit rating. But there is one billing practice they missed. Some health care providers (we have found this with two and it is probably more common) begin the billing date as of the ... Medical Billing: A warning
Costs of Drug Prohibition
I have been thinking about a story that appeared in the Times a few days ago. States are considering requiring medical prescriptions for over-the-counter cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, an ingredient for making methamphetamine. Mississippi and Oregon already have such laws, and other states are considering them, although they have been voted down in other ... Costs of Drug Prohibition
