Historians have an increasingly strong incentive to tell dramatic stories which gain attention and make ‘impact’. But anyone in the business of reporting on reality… Read More »Ian Leslie on story as intellectual anaesthetic
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do… Read More »Inheritance: unearned
A list of some things that have been appropriated by some cultures from others Writing. Roman letters. Arabic numerals. The number zero. The horse (by… Read More »Inappropriate
Back before 1870, there’s no possibility at all that humanity is going to be able to bake the economic pie sufficiently large that everyone can… Read More »Brad DeLong on Proudhon, property and coercion, and the Royal Society’s cornucopia
This excerpt is from DeLong’s interview on Conversations with Tyler. It’s a great discussion – highly recommended. COWEN: If we’re trying to think about the… Read More »Brad DeLong on technological growth and economic change 1870-2010
The proponents of this unrealistic scenario [of reduction in global demand for goods] allow merely a factor-of-two increase across all modes of mobility during the… Read More »Not long ago; or, Little by little (9): Car ownership in China 1999-2019
I had a great time chatting with David Elikwu for his podcast (and newsletter(s), and website) theknowledge.io. He was a great host who had done… Read More »DriverlessCrocodile on theknowledge with David Elikwu
Here’s the point: even if your parents or caregivers had almost nothing, even if all they could give you was love and care, a bit… Read More »This is poverty, Jakarta edition
This may seem obvious, but it’s important. Jane and Frank work weekdays at a restaurant. One day, their boss offers them both an extra shift… Read More »Thought experiment: Infinite inequality without injustice (1)
This is a really interesting and well produced article (as are other pages on The Pudding), and I highly recommend it. There’s a version you… Read More »Recommendation: The Pudding on the Yard-Sale Model and Wealth Tax