What Evolution Reveals About Human Behavior
11 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of media and culture, health economics, population economics Tags: cognitive psychology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology
More impatient people are more likely to commit crime
09 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economics of crime, economics of education, labour economics, law and economics, occupational choice Tags: cognitive psychology, crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, law and order
Gary Becker’s famous model of rational crime suggests that criminals weigh up the costs and benefits of crime (and engage in a criminal act if the benefits outweigh the costs). Time preferences matter in this model, because the benefits of a criminal act are usually realised immediately, whereas the greatest costs (including the penalties of…
More impatient people are more likely to commit crime
Divisive rhetoric chips away at communities
07 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, discrimination, economics of education, labour economics, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, racial discrimination, regressive left
The following letter to the Gisborne Herald appears under the title above and the name of Eddie Tuhaka: Rawiri Waititi’s divisive comments and behaviour against the present Government, calling them a white/Pākehā Government, is racist and unacceptable. He and the rest of them did not complain when they all got their pay increase from the…
Divisive rhetoric chips away at communities
Another weak free speech university policy
06 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Auckland University has a draft free speech policy. There are some good parts to it, but also parts that will allow significant censorship. We take our role of critic and conscience seriously and welcome and encourage dialogue and debate including on topics which may be contentious and controversial. It is inevitable that different perspectives will […]
Another weak free speech university policy
The 2024 Hayek Lecture: Phil Gramm & John Early on “The Myth of American…
04 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economic history, economics of education, entrepreneurship, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - USA, poverty and inequality
New Rule: Gender Apartheid | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
03 Jun 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of education, gender, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights, television, TV shows Tags: Age of Enlightenment, free speech, Gaza Strip, gender wage gap, Iran, Middle-East politics, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
Karen Chhour Skewers The Maori Party
31 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of crime, economics of education, income redistribution, labour economics, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, property rights, Public Choice, public economics Tags: child abuse, child poverty, crime and punishment, family poverty, law and order
Article is by Chris Lynch and I have pinched this one from The BFD Blog. `ĀCT MP Karen Chhour has responded to the Maori Party’s “divisive outbursts.” Co-leader Rawiri Waititi said yesterday, ‘It’s now time for us to step comfortably into our rangatiratanga and to not give too much to this Pakeha Government with their […]
Karen Chhour Skewers The Maori Party
The Huge Potential Benefits of Charter Schools
30 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, managerial economics, organisational economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice
Alwyn Poole writes – In New Zealand we have approximately 460 high schools. The gaps between the schools that produce the best results for students and those at the other end of the spectrum are enormous. In terms of the data for their leavers, the top 30 schools have an average of 87% of their […]
The Huge Potential Benefits of Charter Schools
Professor Accuses UCLA of “Torturing” Pro-Palestinian Protesters
29 May 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, economics of education, law and economics, laws of war, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights, war and peace Tags: free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, political correctness, regressive left, war against terror
UCLA Professor Hannah Appel has accused the school of human rights violations amounting to “torture” in the treatment of pro-Palestinian protesters. The reason is the denial of water and food from being brought into a building being unlawfully occupied by protesters, even though the students were free to leave at any time.
Professor Accuses UCLA of “Torturing” Pro-Palestinian Protesters
The Patriarchy Must Be Smashed
26 May 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economic history, economics of education, economics of information, gender, health and safety, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap, sex discrimination
And it looks like it’s well on the way to being so, given these interesting stats out of the USA. I’d love to know how New Zealand compares in many of these categories One more generation should see large numbers of these well-educated female graduates rising to high levels of private and public sector power. […]
The Patriarchy Must Be Smashed
Almost Observable Human Capital
24 May 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, economics of education, history of economic thought, human capital, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice
Previously, we could observe a higher proportion of men than women in, say, steel fabrication and suspect that men have “some sort” of physical or mental comparative advantage related to steel fabrication. But what does that mean?
Almost Observable Human Capital
Wage setting explained
23 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, economics of information, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, managerial economics, market efficiency, occupational choice, organisational economics, personnel economics
Charter Schools are a worthwhile addition to our school system – but ACT is mis-selling why they are Good and Labour is mis-selling why they are Bad.
22 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, managerial economics, organisational economics, personnel economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice
We know the old saying, “Never trust a politician”, and the Charter School debate is a good example of it. Charter Schools receive public funding, yet “are exempt from most statutory requirements of traditional public schools, including mandates around .. human capital management .. curriculum & instructional practices, and governance & management structures”. That’s a…
Charter Schools are a worthwhile addition to our school system – but ACT is mis-selling why they are Good and Labour is mis-selling why they are Bad.
RODNEY HIDE: My Journey
19 May 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of education, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
It’s been awhile since I have written. I have tried. But I have not had anything useful to say. My concern has always been public policy. What should the government do for the best result? My writing on the government was technical. Here’s what the government is doing. Here’s what they hope to achieve. Here…
RODNEY HIDE: My Journey
Debunking Bad Class Warfare and Debunking Nonsensical Class Warfare
19 May 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, economics of education, entrepreneurship, human capital, income redistribution, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - USA, poverty and inequality, Public Choice Tags: taxation and entrepreneurship, taxation and investment
Like Thomas Piketty, Gabriel Zucman is a French economist who promotes economically destructive class-warfare tax policy. He’s also infamous for dodgy data manipulation, as Phil Magness explains in this Reason discussion. The interview lasts for 64 minutes, and I recommend the entire discussion. Yes, that’s a lot of time, but Phil has encyclopedic knowledge and […]
Debunking Bad Class Warfare and Debunking Nonsensical Class Warfare
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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