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Request for requests
Loyal readers: I can promise only weak monotonicity in my response, but what topics or questions or books or whatever would you like to see covered on MR?
Posted by Tyler Cowen on September 12, 2007 at 11:11 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink
Comments
How about a book club (a la 'Farewell to Alms') on one of your older books, particularly if you have subsequently revised your opinion, or have developed some themes on a subject since publishing?
Nick
Posted by: nick at Sep 12, 2007 11:22:34 AM
Tyler,
I am interested in decision-making. Whether the principles of economics can help us navigate the reefs of our self-deception, whether the rational animal can transcend the self-preserving animal, etc.
Posted by: Deron Bauman at Sep 12, 2007 11:28:15 AM
I'd be interested to read about the relationship between civil liberties and economics. I'm not sure how to be more specific, but I'm sure you can just let the subject go where it will go. Thanks.
Posted by: Willy at Sep 12, 2007 11:30:51 AM
I would like to see more about the role of blogs in scholarship.
Posted by: Seth Gitter at Sep 12, 2007 11:33:33 AM
What areas of economics would you want to work in if you were a graduate student today? What current economics research topics currently interest you the most? Or any other advice to economics students at the start of the dissertation writing stage.
Posted by: noto at Sep 12, 2007 11:33:54 AM
The effects on those elements of human interaction classified as "Economic" by the continued acceleration of collectivization and by the forces generating that collectivization. Any writers on that? Any publishers?
Posted by: R. Richard Schweitzer at Sep 12, 2007 11:35:28 AM
As for books, I'm currently reading (well listening to)"Giving" by Bill Clinton. It's a mixed bag about non-governmental ways to improve the lot of the poor in the world thru private initiative. He mixes good and bad points into an interesting read.
For the sake of balance and using Clinton himself to show another way of enacting good change without the government, it's a good book to view in this light.
Just a thought.
Posted by: John at Sep 12, 2007 11:38:31 AM
Healthcare economics seems to draw a lot of comments so I think that it would be a good topic.
Also lately I have been thinking of the idea of relative income in a different way from most people. I have toyed with the idea that maybe many people spend more on housing than they otherwise would to avoid being in a bad neighborhoods. Making use work harder and enjoy less leasure than we otherwise would. This turns the idea of the dangers of relative wealth on its head. So how about a discussion of the economics of relative wealth, subsidizing of the poor, sloppiness and crime and how they all interact.
Also how do state and county slow growth policies affect real-estate prices?
Posted by: Floccina at Sep 12, 2007 11:39:07 AM
As for books, I'm currently reading (well listening to)"Giving" by Bill Clinton. It's a mixed bag about non-governmental ways to improve the lot of the poor in the world thru private initiative. He mixes good and bad points into an interesting read.
For the sake of balance and using Clinton himself to show another way of enacting good change without the government, it's a good book to view in this light.
Just a thought.
Posted by: John at Sep 12, 2007 11:39:55 AM
Explain the government's role in the dramatic increase in college tuition over the past 20 years ... and the scandals around student loans that have been in the popular press.
Posted by: RTS at Sep 12, 2007 11:44:50 AM
I'm interested in the topic of the 'eat local' movement.
For example:
2 city families pledge: Eat 'local'
"(September 11, 2007) — It's dinnertime. Do you know where the food on your table comes from?
Two Rochester households are taking the Eat Local Challenge, pledging to eat primarily within their foodshed for all or part of this month.
Taste and freshness are the most common reasons people buy locally grown foods."
http://rochesterdandc.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070911/LIVING/709110309
Posted by: Chris Meisenzahl at Sep 12, 2007 11:48:55 AM
How about a suggestion for how to fix the following problem of misplaced incentives: I work in an office with a staff of 14. Clearly, all the work could be done competently and reliably by a staff of 8 or 9. My job could easily be consolidated into another, with no loss of efficiency. This would create very substantial cost-savings. However, it is not immediately apparent to managers that all of this is the case. I would have to point out that I am redundant, and of course I would reap none of the rewards of cost-savings for pointing out my own redundancy and would, in fact, lose my job (actually I wouldn't because this is a public institution, but you get the point). How could we structure a system where I had an incentive to point out my own redundancy and advocate for more efficient labor usage instead of just hanging on tightly to my easy easy job and obfuscating the fact that I only work 3 hours out of the 8.
Posted by: David at Sep 12, 2007 11:53:52 AM
Topics (they're somewhat specific, but of interest to me):
The impact of internet, Web 2.0, etc., on the way we do business.
Buyer and seller behavior in the automotive market.
Economic decision-making as it relates to marriage and having children.
Analysis on the things that polarize us in the US (politics, socio-economic levels, race, gender, geography, etc.).
Debunking conventional wisdom on various economic topics.
Posted by: econ2econ at Sep 12, 2007 11:56:43 AM
Krueger's new book on terrorism might be fun. It's short, too.
Posted by: jason voorhees at Sep 12, 2007 12:01:14 PM
David,
Not to hijack the thread, but yours is an interesting point that we've talked about in my organization. Our philosophy is that everyone should be working to eliminate their own jobs. The theory being that when you improve efficiency, time and effort can be devoted to other things. It works better in an orgnazation whose goals are to continue to increase production. Since you are in a public institution, that may not be the goal, thus your problem persists.
Posted by: econ2econ at Sep 12, 2007 12:01:50 PM
As to books. Jude Wanniski's, The Way The World Works.
Posted by: russ at Sep 12, 2007 12:04:48 PM
How about the Paris bike sharing program?
Posted by: VC at Sep 12, 2007 12:16:08 PM
I think a book forum for some classic economics books (Keynes' General Theory or The Wealth of Nations for example) would be very helpful.
Posted by: Steven Bass at Sep 12, 2007 12:25:45 PM
How about a post on Ludwig Lachmann?
Posted by: Brad at Sep 12, 2007 12:27:32 PM
Would love to see more detailed accounts of your travels.
Posted by: CD at Sep 12, 2007 12:36:07 PM
I particularly development stuff, emerging economy, the Chinese influence, Africa. The nuggets you throw in about behavioural economics is also fresh keep up the good work.
Omodudu.
Posted by: omodudu at Sep 12, 2007 12:37:27 PM
I'd love to see you folks comment upon the major presidential candidates' economic policy proposals, for the pragmatic reason that your comments might influence ever so slightly those candidates' ideas.
Posted by: Jim Garland at Sep 12, 2007 12:38:02 PM
Electoral College (or generally election systems).
The economics of religion - promising research programs within it.
Flat tax - a desirable model?
Transition economies - what went right, what went wrong, could it have gone better? (In particular Eastern Germany in the doldrums)
If the whole Latin America dollarized, would it affect the US economy? How would it change the US monetary policy?
Homeschooling - a positive alternative, or could it be dangerous (on the larger scale) because parents impose their beliefs and prejudices on their kids, thereby hampering their socialization?
Posted by: J at Sep 12, 2007 12:39:00 PM
Personally, I'd like to read about why I'm so awesome.
Posted by: Phil at Sep 12, 2007 12:41:25 PM
I would be interested in your perspectives on the different career trajectories for people coming out in economics, law and economics, and public policy.
Posted by: davidg at Sep 12, 2007 12:41:58 PM
