Urban Traffic: More Roads Don’t Mean Less Traffic — MS&E 135 Networks @ Stanford

May 23, 2016

It is estimated that by 2030 the cumulative cost of traffic congestion in the United States will reach 2.8 Trillion Dollars. The usual way we have responded to this situation is build more highways and roads. However, as Adam Mann, an Angeleno points out in his article, building more lanes on the 405 has not … More Urban Traffic: More Roads Don’t Mean Less Traffic — MS&E 135 Networks @ Stanford

The Birth of Territory reviewed in Law, Culture and the Humanities by Thanos Zartaloudis — Progressive Geographies

May 20, 2016

The Birth of Territory is reviewed in Law, Culture and the Humanities by Thanos Zartaloudis (requires subscription). It’s a generous summary of the book and says a few things about the legal aspects of the argument. To the legal audience the numerous references and remarks on the role of law in the eventual conception of […] … More The Birth of Territory reviewed in Law, Culture and the Humanities by Thanos Zartaloudis — Progressive Geographies

Economists Confuse Greek Method with Science — WEA Pedagogy Blog

May 20, 2016

Post 3/4 – Continuation of Emergence of Science A well-known historian and philosopher of science Pierre Duhem reflects the typical Eurocentric attitude: “There is no Arabian science. The wise men of Mohammedanism were … faithful disciples of the Greeks, (and) … destitute of all originality.” It is amazing how prejudice can blind historians to the […] … More Economists Confuse Greek Method with Science — WEA Pedagogy Blog

Soon economists may call the government to fix the economy, leaving the public confused..

April 3, 2016

Originally posted on Mostly Economics:
Noah Smith has this interesting piece on changing discourse on economic thought. And that too amidst economists!! Even more interesting is that they seem to be leaning more towards govt these days: Economists argue so much about everything that people are always asking them “Is there anything you folks agree on?”…

Dani Rodrik and the ’empirical turn’ in economics (VII) 

January 25, 2016

In Economics Rules, Dani Rodrik maintains that ‘imaginative empirical methods’ — such as game theoretical applications, natural experiments, field experiments, lab experiments, RCTs — can help us to answer questions conerning the external validity of economic models. In Rodrik’s view they are more or less tests of ‘an underlying economic model’ and enable economists to … More Dani Rodrik and the ’empirical turn’ in economics (VII) 

David Sloan Wilson on economics and new developments in evolutionary theory

January 25, 2016

David Sloan Wilson has an interesting blogpost about modern evolutionary theory and economics in which he compares the ideas in a highly intelligent 1996 speech about this by Paul Krugman with subsequent developments in evolutionary theory. It reminds me a little of the early twentieth century ideas of Kropotkin (see this post on this blog): “Kropotkin … noticed that groupings of species thrived through cooperation. Researching human settlements in Siberia, Kropotkin likewise noted cooperation and mutual aid as the foundation for dealing with the larger struggle for survival against natural challenges.” … More David Sloan Wilson on economics and new developments in evolutionary theory

More Education = Less Terrorism? Studying the Complex Relationship Between Terrorism and Education

January 4, 2016

In the aftermath of terrorist attacks, education is often advocated as an antidote to terrorism, the idea primarily being that education may make individuals less vulnerable to the false promises of extremist ideologies. For instance, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC on September 11, 2001, Eli Wiesel … More More Education = Less Terrorism? Studying the Complex Relationship Between Terrorism and Education

World employment and social outlook 2015. The changing nature of jobs

January 4, 2016

From the recent ILO (International Labour Organization) World Employment and Social Outlook – the changing nature of jobs publication. The part on labour and the increasing importance of international supply chains is a ‘must read’ – the economic history of today. Where are workers less likely to have a permanent contract? Increasing poverty for households … More World employment and social outlook 2015. The changing nature of jobs

The HE Green Paper: (Don’t) Read it and Weep – Part 1: The TEF & Social Mobility

January 4, 2016

Britain’s Conservative government recently released its much-awaited (or much-dreaded) ‘green paper’ on higher education (HE), a consultation document that sets out broad ideas for the sector’s future. Masochistically, I have read this document – so you don’t have to. This first post describes and evaluates the centrepiece of the green paper, the Teaching Excellence Framework … More The HE Green Paper: (Don’t) Read it and Weep – Part 1: The TEF & Social Mobility

Game Theory: Mixed-Strategies and Zero-Sum Games

January 1, 2016

I. Introduction In my previous blog entry, the normal form game and Nash equilibrium were introduced. Attention was restricted to pure strategies. As will be illustrated below, not every finite, normal form game has a pure strategies Nash equilibrium. The notion of mixed strategies extends the notion of pure strategies, allowing players to assign probabilities … More Game Theory: Mixed-Strategies and Zero-Sum Games

Game Theory: The Game Of Life

January 1, 2016

“Are you traveling together?” the ticket agent asked. “Yes,” you responded. “So how’s row 15 — aisle and center or center and window?” the agent inquired. “No, we’d like row 7, aisle and window,” you replied. The agent gave you a strange look, but decided not to question your motives and accommodated your request.  What were your motives? You were banking on having extra room during … More Game Theory: The Game Of Life