The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when someone, possessing knowledge or expertise on a particular topic, struggles to imagine or communicate with others who lack the same understanding or information. Essentially, once we know something, it’s very hard to imagine what it’s like not to know it. How it manifests: Why it happens: […]
The curse of knowledge
The curse of knowledge
25 Mar 2025 1 Comment
in economics of education, health and safety, human capital, occupational choice Tags: cognitive psychology, educational psychology
A great new research paper
25 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, economics of education, gender, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - USA, property rights Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
Jerry Coyne has found a wonderful new research paper. The abstract is: This article offers a queer lesbian feminist analysis attuned to lesbian-queer-trans-canine relationalities. Specifically, the article places queer and lesbian ecofeminism in conversation with Donna Haraway’s work on the cyborg and companion species to theorize the interconnected queer becomings of people, nature, animals, and […]
A great new research paper
Medieval Warm Period Undeniable, Pronounced In Antarctica And Poland, 2 New Studies Show
25 Mar 2025 1 Comment
in economic history, economics of climate change, economics of natural disasters, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming Tags: climate alarmism
The two new studies from Antarctica and Poland indicate that the natural climate factors still need to be much better understood in order to be able to incorporate them faithfully into climate models. Currently, the simulations do not attribute a major role to natural climate events, which is a serious mistake.
Medieval Warm Period Undeniable, Pronounced In Antarctica And Poland, 2 New Studies Show
The importance of the chronometer
24 Mar 2025 1 Comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic history, industrial organisation, transport economics, urban economics Tags: Age of Discovery
The chronometer, one of the greatest inventions of the modern era, allowed for the first time for the precise measurement of longitude at sea. We examine the impact of this innovation on navigation and urbanization. Our identification strategy leverages the fact that the navigational benefits provided by the chronometer varied across different sea regions depending […]
The importance of the chronometer
Should asylum be restricted to neighbouring countries
24 Mar 2025 1 Comment
in defence economics, development economics, economic history, labour economics, labour supply, laws of war, war and peace Tags: economics of immigration
100,000 asylum seekers a year is massive, especially when you consider the many countries one has to pass through to get to the UK. The right of asylum is an ancient right to flee a government or ruler that persecutes you. It goes back thousands of years. In the modern era the UDHR says: Everyone […]
Should asylum be restricted to neighbouring countries
Beware: Flawed Energy Assumptions Incite Delusional Scenarios
23 Mar 2025 1 Comment
in econometerics, economic history, economics of climate change, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming
Mark P. Mills and Neil Atkinson blow the whistle on projections written in International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest report, the World Energy Outlook. Below is the announcement of the report findings, key exhibits and Executive summary, excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. Link to full study at the end. Overview Industry players […]
Beware: Flawed Energy Assumptions Incite Delusional Scenarios
Kaiserschlacht – German Spring Offensive 1918 I THE GREAT WAR Week 191
23 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, war and peace Tags: World War I
Beating the market
23 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in econometerics, economics of information, entrepreneurship, financial economics Tags: active investing, efficient markets hypothesis, passive investing
All is Fair in Love & War: Sex during World War I
23 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of crime, International law, law and economics, laws of war, war and peace Tags: World War I
Mann loses 99.5% of his damages
23 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of climate change, economics of education, energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, global warming, law and economics, politics - USA Tags: climate activists, climate alarmism, defamation
Climate scientist Michael Mann won $1 million in a defamation lawsuit against writer Mark Steyn. However the damages have been reduced to $5,000 due to false claims by Mann about lost grants. Some extracts from the recent court ruling: It seems Dr Mann has done more damage to his own reputation through this lawsuit, than […]
Mann loses 99.5% of his damages
Book Nook Reading Notes on *Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids*
22 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, economics of education, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, occupational choice, poverty and inequality Tags: College premium, signaling
Bet On It reader Dan Barrett wrote these notes for his Book Nook book club on my Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent Is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think. Dan’s idea:I’m organizing reading groups packaged as the Book Nook to help colleagues (1) guide their own learning…
Book Nook Reading Notes on *Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids*
The Anatomy of Marital Happiness
22 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic history, economics of love and marriage, industrial organisation, labour economics, population economics Tags: dating markets, economics of fertility, marriage and divorce, marriage premium
How can I not link to a new Sam Peltzman piece on such a topic? Here goes: Since 1972, the General Social Survey has periodically asked whether people are happy with Yes, Maybe or No type answers. Here I use a net “happiness” measure, which is percentage Yes less percentage No with Maybe treated as […]
The Anatomy of Marital Happiness
Commerce Secretary Lutnick Is Among Those Government Officials Who Are Ignorant of Basic Economic Facts
21 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, industrial organisation, international economics, market efficiency, politics - USA, survivor principle, transport economics Tags: 2024 presidential election, free trade, tarrifs
TweetHere’s a note to the Highland County Press. Editor: Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick asserts that NAFTA allowed U.S. automobile producers to “screw” American auto workers by shifting auto-industry production to Mexico and Canada (“Trump Cabinet members: Tariff plans are working; tariffs could eliminate federal income tax for those earning less than $150,000,” March 20). Mr.…
Commerce Secretary Lutnick Is Among Those Government Officials Who Are Ignorant of Basic Economic Facts
Oldest known Australian hominin fossils to be reburied
21 Mar 2025 1 Comment
in economic history, economics of education, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia Tags: archeology, evolutionary biology, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Once again we have a conflict between science and the unevidenced claims of superstition. This time it’s from Australia. Some of the “Willandra lakes fossils” from New South Wales, which include the famous “Lake Mungo remains” (three sets of hominin fossils that are the oldest ones known from Australia), have been or are scheduled to […]
Oldest known Australian hominin fossils to be reburied
The splintering of political extremists
21 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Political parties on the extreme left and right tend to splinter due to a combination of ideological rigidity, personal rivalries, and strategic disagreements. Here are some key reasons: 1. Ideological Purity and Sectarianism 2. Leadership Conflicts and Personality Clashes 3. Strategic Disagreements 4. External Pressure and State Repression 5. Reaction to Success or Failure 6. […]
The splintering of political extremists
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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