#Dailychart: Workers in poor countries are climbing out of poverty econ.st/1tJXtb4 http://t.co/Z8saGkMa4e—
The Economist (@ECONdailycharts) May 27, 2014
The withering away the proletariat from the rise of the middle-class in underdeveloped countries
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in development economics, growth disasters, growth miracles Tags: capitalism and freedom, The Age of Milton Friedman, The Great Fact
Deranged conspiracy theories versus the domestic political reality of the Indonesian resumption of executions
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in development economics, economics of crime, law and economics, politics - Australia Tags: Australia, capital punishment, conspiracy theories, crime and punishment, expressive voting, Indonesia, left-wing condescension, Left-wing hypocrisy, Leftover Left, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
The Australian human rights commissioner has put forward a bizarre conspiracy theory linking the recent execution of two drug traffickers in Indonesia to the Australian policy of turning back refugee boats.
Ignorance and condescension of Indonesian domestic politics is prevalent among the left wing elite in Australia.
Indonesia started executions again under the new president after a long hiatus and in particular for death sentences for narcotics drug trafficking. Indonesia had an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty between 2008 and 2012 but resumed executions in 2013. Executions were infrequent.
The new president was recently elected on a platform of being tough on crime and in particular on drug trafficking and the 64 drug traffickers currently on death row:
[The clemency requests] are not on my table yet. But I guarantee that there will be no clemency for convicts who committed narcotics-related crimes
Secondly, making concessions to Australia does not win votes in Indonesia which is a democracy. Thirdly, a range of foreigners are on death row in Indonesia. The best way to have kept those two Australians alive was to say nothing so hopefully they are not moved up in the queue to spite Australia to win domestic political points.
Fourthly, someone of her legal training should be better at spinning conspiratorially yarns than this particularly weak work of imagination.
Which Anglo-Saxon country has the highest after-tax minimum wage?
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, minimum wage, public economics Tags: Australia, British economy, Canada, Ireland, progressive taxation, taxation and the labour supply, welfare state
Figure 1: Minimum wage after income tax and social security contributions, US$ PPP, Anglo-Saxon countries, 2013
Who had the most colonies?
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: age of empires, British empire, colonisation
Reviewing the review
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economics
The envelope on which NZ Labour’s campaign review was written on the back of has unsurprisingly been leaked. Expect a witch hunt to distract from just how sub-standard the review is.
The content of the review, and lack-thereof, offer a fascinating insight into a party in turmoil. The actual 2014 general election campaign is skimmed over – most of the focus of the review instead seems to be the party’s organisational structures.
I’m going to go through the review and offer some thoughts. Starting with part 1 – General Election 2014.
Part 1 – General Election 2014
1A Campaign organisation
The late start under a changed leadership team left too little time to allow Labour to prepare and implement an effective campaign. In general, Labour’s campaign preparation was inadequate.
The new leadership team should make an immediate start on developing and implementing a coordinated strategic plan for contesting the…
View original post 1,594 more words
Now what was it that the Nordics had over New Zealand in education?
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of education, politics - New Zealand Tags: education spending, Finland, Iceland, Nordic countries, Norway, Scandinavia, Sweden, teacher pay
Some think that some members of the top 0.1% are underpaid
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, sports economics Tags: baseball, superstar wages, superstars, top 0.1%, top 1%
Why Baseball Players Are Actually Underpaid theatlantic.com/business/archi… | http://t.co/qBgcmxLWca—
Charts and Maps (@ChartsandMaps) April 04, 2015
Major league baseball salary growth is slowing http://t.co/Jw6gYG1ylQ—
Charts and Maps (@ChartsandMaps) April 04, 2015
Baseball salaries hit a record high http://t.co/AfvlMEVHbf—
Charts and Maps (@ChartsandMaps) April 12, 2015
Vast right-wing conspiracy alert: economists must be double secret Republicans!
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, occupational choice, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: vast right-wing conspiracy, voted demographics
There were 2,412 donations from Economists, in the last two election cycles. They gave 3 times as often to Democrats. http://t.co/c8tnQ9Vv15—
Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) June 03, 2015
via How Democratic or Republican is your job? This tool tells you. – The Washington Post.
Is there a Republican sociologist in America?
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in occupational choice, politics - USA, population economics, Public Choice Tags: campaign finance regulation, voted demographics
Exactly one person identified themselves as a sociologist & gave money to Republicans (in the past 2 election cycles) http://t.co/JP9RAoRgiF—
Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) June 04, 2015
The global business cycle in one chart
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in business cycles, economic growth, macroeconomics Tags: world economy
The entire global economy. In one chart. bloom.bg/1FrXQ1A http://t.co/H07P9n2LkL—
Bloomberg VisualData (@BBGVisualData) May 22, 2015
First Case of Diphtheria in Spain Since 1986 After Parents Shun Vaccination
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economics
New Zealand does rather well on many measures of poverty and inequality
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in labour economics, minimum wage, poverty and inequality, welfare reform Tags: child poverty, family poverty, living wage, welfare state
Tough times? On #MayDay, compare % of low-paid #workers in yr country bit.ly/1EFrrV7 #LabourDay http://t.co/jNBrmjcom9—
(@OECD) May 01, 2015
Working for minimum wage? See how your country compares, then read oe.cd/mw2015 ( PDF) #wages http://t.co/DJsLYawtfw—
(@OECD) May 06, 2015
If You Want Real “Social Justice,” Support Free Markets and Small Government
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in economics
Since almost everybody wants a society that is just, that presumably means we all favor “social justice.”
But in the American political system, the phrase has been adopted by those who favor bigger government and more intervention. Sort of the way “solidarity” and “social” are code words for statism in Europe.
Leftists think that this phrase gives them the moral high ground, but shouldn’t we judge “social justice” by outcomes rather than intentions?
Is statism really compassionate if it actually winds up lining the pockets of wealthy insiders?
Is statism really compassionate when it gives people an excuse to be stingy, as we see in Europe?
Is statism really compassionate when it means less long-run growth and lower living standards for ordinary people?
The answers to those questions probably depend on one’s definition of a just society.
For those fixated on equality, it appears that they are willing…
View original post 616 more words
The scramble for Africa 1880 – 1913
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, economic history, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: Africa, British empire, colonialism
Africa in 1880 vs. 1913 – brilliantmaps.com/africa-1914/ http://t.co/mLSSZfG0Co—
Brilliant Maps (@BrilliantMaps) May 31, 2015
Growth accounting for the USA in the 1930s
05 Jun 2015 Leave a comment
in business cycles, economic growth, economic history, great depression, macroeconomics Tags: great depression, growth accounting, real business cycles
Notice how productivity recovers but hours worked per working age adults does not.
via The Current Financial Crisis in Spain: What Should We Learn from the ….
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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