The only person who is safe in a gun-free zone is the man with a gun
04 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economics of crime, economics of regulation Tags: expressive voting, game theory, gun control, gun free zones, offsetting behaviour, rational ignorance, rational rationality, unintended consequences
@World_Wildlife on the cost of moving to a low carbon economy @jamespeshaw @GreenpeaceNZ @NZGreens
01 Oct 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, environmental economics, global warming, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: climate alarmism, evidence-based policy, expressive voting, global warming, green rent seeking, low carbon economy, rational ignorance, rational rationality
How to lie about statistics on inequality and global poverty @oxfamnz @Oxfam
29 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, development economics, econometerics, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles, human capital, labour economics, Marxist economics, poverty and inequality, rentseeking Tags: activists, do gooders, expressive voting, Leftover Left, Oxfam, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, Twitter left
Has the Democratic Party lost the white working class
29 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, income redistribution, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: American politics, Democratic Party, rational ignorance, rational rationality, suppressive voting, Withering away of the proletariat
Again, the decline in white working class support for Democrats is vastly overstated. I bid you a good night. http://t.co/bUNpME5o3B—
The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) September 13, 2015
@nzlabour @NZGreens New Zealand state-owned enterprises dividends paid and capital injections since 2007
25 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in financial economics, industrial organisation, politics - New Zealand, public economics, rentseeking, survivor principle, transport economics Tags: government ownership, KiwiRail, privatisation, rational ignorance, rational rationality, state owned enterprises, suppressive voting
The New Zealand Labour Party and New Zealand Greens both make much of the fact that when you privatise a state-owned enterprise the taxpayer is no longer entitled to dividends from the privatised business. The fact that the sale price is the net present value of those future dividends is a rating fallacy that is not the subject of this post.
Source: New Zealand Treasury – data released under the Official Information Act.
What is the subject of this post is whether there are indeed any dividends paid to taxpayers after capital injections. 2007 was the last year in which dividends to the taxpayer exceeded capital injections. The reason was that dog called KiwiRail.
Trigger warning for American political junkies: latest US presidential polling
25 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: 2016 presidential election, expressive voting, opinion polls, rational ignorance, rational rationality, voter demographics
Here's @pollsterpolls avg since 6/1, w/ less smoothing. 2-pt drop for Trump. Not yet clear whether there's a trend. http://t.co/vrwXNC6hlo—
The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) September 24, 2015
Here's some actual evidence on whether voter anger is helping "outsider" candidates. washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-c… http://t.co/RaragjjStV—
The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) September 16, 2015
Ben Carson's decline and then surge in the polls tracks media attention. washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-c… http://t.co/mrddJMMAc0—
The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) September 03, 2015
Another key graph: news coverage of Trump hasn't really become more negative. For more: washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-c… http://t.co/p8KpVcUlGd—
The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) August 28, 2015
Here's a new graph of Trump's poll numbers and share of news coverage. For more see: washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-c… http://t.co/sdJCQCs5O5—
The Monkey Cage (@monkeycageblog) August 28, 2015
More reasons to let @jeremycorbyn be Corbyn – non-voters believe much the same things as voters
24 Sep 2015 1 Comment
in constitutional political economy, income redistribution, Marxist economics, Public Choice Tags: British politics, expressive voting, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, Twitter left, voter demographics
It is vital to permanent Tory rule that Jeremy Corbyn stay staunch to the principles and electoral strategy on which he was elected by Labour Party members and supporters to be their leader and alternative Prime Minister.
Source: The huge shock coming down the track for the Corbynites | Conservative Home
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Source: New polling data shows the challenge facing Jeremy Corbyn
Peter Kellner: Measuring the gap between Corbyn’s supporters and Labour’s target voters – y-g.co/1izSpph http://t.co/f1NaNL4xgt—
(@YouGov) September 25, 2015
Let @jeremycorbyn be Corbyn #toriesforcorbyn @LabourList @UKLabour
22 Sep 2015 1 Comment
in Marxist economics, Public Choice Tags: British politics, economics of ideology, expressive voting, ideology, Leftover Left, political psychology, rational ignorance, rational rationality, Twitter left
The last thing Tories for Corbyn want is for Jeremy Corbyn to start compromising on his principles. Do not be corrupted by the baubles of office. Stay staunch to those ‘renegade Liberal’ principles that kept you in the wilderness for 30 years within the Labour Party. That will guarantee permanent Tory rule. We and the Trots want our £3 worth.
Source: What’s going to happen to a Corbyn-led Labour party | LabourList
WATCH: @afneil exposes Lord Falconer's policy splits with Corbyn and McDonnell order-order.com/2015/09/20/11-… http://t.co/y2pxdu9YKl—
Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) September 20, 2015
@ChristchurchCC Deputy Mayor is clueless about the criminal justice system
21 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, television, transport economics, urban economics Tags: crime and punishment, evidence-based policy, law and order, local government, rational ignorance, rational rationality, road safety, Yes Minister
In responding to demands for police to crack down on windscreen washers, some of whom intimidate motorists to pay, the deputy mayor of Christchurch showed a cultured ignorance of youth courts. She has never read newspaper reports that show that youth court defendants are never named and their convictions are not held against them as adults. Furthermore, she is unaware of the spent convictions law in New Zealand that expunges most convictions after seven years, especially petty convictions.
Stigler on economics as a big tent @RusselNorman @NZGreens @GreenpeaceNZ @Mark_J_Perry
21 Sep 2015 1 Comment
What is Little England
18 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in liberalism Tags: British culture, British economy, British history, British politics, growth of government, meddlesome preferences, nanny state, rational ignorance, rational rationality, size of government
Some confusion about what I mean by "liberal social democracy" and why it applies to Britain. An explanation: http://t.co/VqzAnVJyOB—
Jeremy Cliffe (@JeremyCliffe) August 17, 2015
Quick recap on why Corbyn not signing the anthem is in fact an important issue @OwenJones84 @mehdirhasan @JohnRentoul http://t.co/xQAPGAG2Of—
Paco Killr (@PacoKillr) September 17, 2015
Who do the London newspapers vote for?
17 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of media and culture, Public Choice Tags: British politics, expressive voting, London, London newspaper market, media bias, rational ignorance, rational rationality
How dangerous is nuclear energy?
16 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, economics of regulation, energy economics, environmental economics Tags: atomic power, environmental alarmism, expressive voting, Green alarmism, nuclear energy, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
@TheGreenParty Open minded, a little unstable @NZGreens
15 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand, Public Choice Tags: British greens, British politics, economics of personality traits, expressive voting, New Zealand Greens, rational ignorance, rational rationality, votor demographics
https://twitter.com/LSEpoliticsblog/status/636528821211123712/photo/1
The large differences in personality types between Green voters and Labour voters is one of the first explanations I have seen as to why someone joins and votes for one over the other given both are left-wing parties with fewer and fewer differences in policy.
How does political party affiliation affect return rates for lost wallets? buff.ly/1AaWng8 http://t.co/7lm2pgUD4h—
LSE Politics&Policy (@LSEpoliticsblog) May 18, 2015
"The socio-economic base of Labour support is more spread out than that of the Tories" buff.ly/1IJB8na http://t.co/uDH5nYVIPu—
LSE Politics&Policy (@LSEpoliticsblog) May 05, 2015
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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