Articles 2024
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From Weddings to Football, the Value of Communal Activities
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", April 25, 2002
WHAT do weddings, the Super Bowl, presidential inaugurations, graduation ceremonies and political rallies like those that took place in Washington last week have in common?
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When Novelties Become a Nuisance
D Magazine, April 2002
The McKinney Avenue trolley may be cute. But nobody rides it, and it doesn't make money.
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Where It's Easier to Buy a Home
One theory on why it seems easier to buy a house in the nation's 'red' zone.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", March 28, 2002
Are there really two Americas, the "red" conservative heartland and the "blue" liberal coasts? Extrapolating from the 2000 election results, political commentators like to think so. The electoral map has morphed into a mental map, a shorthand for different regional cultures.
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Artifact: Free Hand
Reason, March 2002
A week after the Taliban lost control of Kabul, Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis took this picture of an Afghan widow begging. Anonymous behind her burqa, she flashes a once-forbidden sign of personality: chipped red polish on her carefully maintained nails. She applied the polish the day after the liberation of Kabul. The chips came from work and the passage of time...
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Lessons in Keeping Business Humming, Courtesy of Wal-Mart U.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", February 28, 2002
Wal-Mart Stores has just passed Exxon Mobil to become the world's largest company by sales and will thus top the Fortune 500. Wal-Mart's achievement is particularly striking as its once-mighty competitor, Kmart, struggles under bankruptcy protection. -
Globalism and the Liberal Model
Playing the invisible hand that's dealt us
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", January 31, 2002
As business and political celebrities gather this week for the World Economic Forum, their mood is somber compared with the triumphalism of the 1990's. Not only have the organizers moved the meetings from Davos, Switzerland, to post-Sept. 11 Manhattan, but these international movers and shakers can expect to be confronted by protesters determined to stop global economic integration. The confidence of "Davos man" in the irresistible march of globalization -- and his belief in his own righteousness and cultural cool -- has been shaken.
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Why Bush Stiffed Enron
The Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2002
Enron Corp. gave the Bush campaign lots of money. When Enron got in trouble, cabinet secretaries took its calls. But they did nothing to save it.
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Often, Basic Concepts in Economics Are Taken for Granted
Things that every economist takes for granted could help a lot of other people avoid some costly mistakes.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", January 03, 2002
The American Economic Association begins its annual meetings tomorrow in Atlanta. While most people seem to think of economics as a field that studies the stock market and government policy, the three-day agenda demonstrates a much wider range of scholarly questions.
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We Are Where We Eat
D Magazine, January 2002
Two of the hottest new restaurants in Dallas prove that what's on the walls counts as much as what's on the plates.
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Little Sense in Setting Fuel-Efficiency Targets
Setting fuel-efficiency targets for vehicle fleets makes little sense
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", December 06, 2001
Gasoline prices have fallen sharply, to below $1 a gallon in some places, encouraging Americans to drive more. The war on terrorism, meanwhile, is raising questions about relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the future of Persian Gulf oil supplies. In response, some activists and commentators are calling for government action to require more fuel-efficient automobiles.