I wrote twice previously about Uber jacking up prices in an emergency in Sydney, Australia (I, II). In both cases, I have pointed out that in addition to it being rational for many (and perhaps even the majority) to prefer non-surging in emergencies, it’s also totally plausible aggregate utility, measured in conventional ways, is maximized… Continue reading Uber Surge Prices, Part III
Right to Own
Most major companies in this country are owned by capital unions whose members are called shareholders. The members of the capital unions cast votes in elections in order to guide the direction of the companies. Among other things, the members of each particular capital union help to select a Board of Directors, which is then… Continue reading Right to Own
Actually, Breaking Windows Is Good
I wrote a piece in Gawker titled “Actually, Riots are Good: The Economic Case for Riots in Ferguson.” The piece is serious in many ways, but also trollish in a way that is obvious to a certain internet circle, but not others. What has surprised me is how underwhelming the criticisms of the piece has… Continue reading Actually, Breaking Windows Is Good
Deeply Serious Procedural Justice Question
Obama used executive action to shield a few million undocumented immigrants from deportation. As usual, the relatively sparse discussion of the merits of this action is buried beneath an avalanche of arguments about appropriate government processes. Is it the role of the executive to do this sort of thing? What does it forebode? And won’t… Continue reading Deeply Serious Procedural Justice Question
Higher Education, the Nordics, and the Matthew Effect
Giulia Pines has a piece at Jacobin in which she cautions people not to celebrate too much about Germany’s free college tuition because, among other things, they put kids on educational tracks early in life. This, she suggests, has the effect of baking in class distinctions because working class kids presumably get put on vocational… Continue reading Higher Education, the Nordics, and the Matthew Effect