The world is getting better all the time, in 11 maps and charts vox.com/2015/7/13/8908… http://t.co/cBbN4L0dqF—
Vox (@voxdotcom) July 13, 2015
Global poverty is in free fall – what does Oxfam have to say about what caused this?
14 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, growth disasters, growth miracles, liberalism, Marxist economics, Public Choice Tags: extreme poverty, global poverty, ODA, overseas aid, Oxfam, professional activists, professional do-gooders, The Great Escape, The Great Fact
William Easterly on the Tyranny of Experts and the Forgotten Rights of the Poor
13 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
Matt Ridley on the nature of glory
11 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in liberalism, war and peace Tags: capitalism and freedom, Matt Ridley
The left-wing solution to Greek bankruptcy
10 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, currency unions, fiscal policy, global financial crisis (GFC), income redistribution, liberalism, macroeconomics, Marxist economics, Public Choice, public economics, rentseeking Tags: Eurosclerosis, expressive voting, Greece, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, sovereign default
Eight intellectual traits
09 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in liberalism Tags: economics of personality traits, personality psychology, philosophy of science, sociology of knowledge, sociology of science
Richer is greener: environmentalists are Environmental Kuznets Curve deniers
07 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, development economics, economic growth, economic history, energy economics, environmental economics, growth disasters, growth miracles, health and safety, industrial organisation, international economics, labour economics, law and economics, liberalism, property rights, public economics Tags: healthier is wealthier, Japan, Kuznets environmental curve, richer is greener, richer is safer
The Kuznets environmental curve describes an empirical regularity between environmental quality and economic growth. Outdoor water, air and other pollution first worse and then improves as a country first experiences economic growth and development.
While many pollutants exhibit this pattern in the Kuznets environmental curve, peak pollution levels occur at different income levels for different pollutants, countries and time periods. John Tierney explains:
In dozens of studies, researchers identified Kuznets curves for a variety of environmental problems.
There are exceptions to the trend, especially in countries with inept governments and poor systems of property rights, but in general, richer is eventually greener.
As incomes go up, people often focus first on cleaning up their drinking water, and then later on air pollutants like sulphur dioxide.
As their wealth grows, people consume more energy, but they move to more efficient and cleaner sources — from wood to coal and oil, and then to natural gas and nuclear power, progressively emitting less carbon per unit of energy.
When I was living in Japan in the mid 1990s, they just completed a period of rapid operation of the Kuznets environmental curve. I was told by my professors at Graduate School that in the 1960s, cities and prefectures welcomed polluting industries because of the better paid jobs they offered. At that time, shipping companies used like to go to Tokyo because the pollution in Tokyo Bay was so bad that it would clean all the barnacles off their ships. That made them sail faster.
Japanese incomes and wages doubled over the course of the 1960s. The Japanese voter was now prepared to support stricter pollution standards and environmental controls.
Life expectancy is at an all time high: buff.ly/1ICraAi http://t.co/jgRqKy8LfQ—
HumanProgress.org (@humanprogress) June 28, 2015
In the early 1970s, the ruling LDP stole the long-standing environmental policies of their opponents in a big crack down on pollution because the country could now afforded them.
Poverty has plummeted in East Asia and the world. buff.ly/1NtIDyY http://t.co/SsY3sf3kyH—
HumanProgress.org (@humanprogress) July 01, 2015
Plenty of developing countries are democracies now. Their people could demand through the ballot box higher environmental standards and clean tap water but they don’t because of its cost to economic development.
These 4 nations are 50% of mankind. That's 3.5 billion people who are living longer. buff.ly/1Kle6mU #health http://t.co/949oqisMsL—
HumanProgress.org (@humanprogress) June 30, 2015
The environmental movement lives in a state of denial regarding the relationship between economic growth and environmental quality.
OECD Better Life Index correlates with GDP
But US lower than poorer countries
& NZL higher than richer countries http://t.co/yrTCnO1B0l—
Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) June 26, 2015
Why does 1% of history have 99% of the wealth?
07 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, economic growth, economic history, liberalism Tags: Deidre McCloskey, The Great Enrichment, The Great Escape, The Great Fact
The structure of scientific revolutions by Thomas Kuhn
07 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in liberalism Tags: economics of science, philosophy of science, sociology of knowledge, sociology of science, Thomas Kuhn
Matt Ridley on the Pope and The Great Fact
06 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, development economics, economic history, economics of regulation, energy economics, entrepreneurship, environmental economics, financial economics, growth disasters, growth miracles, health economics, history of economic thought, human capital, industrial organisation, labour economics, liberalism, survivor principle Tags: doomsday prophecies, Matt Ridley doomsday prophets, Papal economics, The Great Enrichment, The Great Escape, The Great Fact
See which way the data points for yourself, like @mattwridley. buff.ly/1HsZxgx #health #progress http://t.co/B3KbUJOn05—
HumanProgress.org (@humanprogress) June 30, 2015
Levels of proof
05 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in liberalism Tags: conjecture and refutation, philosophy of science
Where Cannabis is legal
03 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in economics of crime, economics of regulation, health economics, law and economics, liberalism, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: marijuana decriminalisation, meddlesome preferences, medical marijuana decriminalisation, nanny state
Map of where Cannabis is legal (2014)
From: bit.ly/1uZ2uvq http://t.co/e0W7fJ8FZC—
Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) June 30, 2015
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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