Freakonomics blog sans Dubner

Sex and the SUV: Men, Women, and Travel Behavior

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:19 -0800

Indeed, the conclusion of the slogan "you've come a long way, baby" ironically demonstrates that women had not come quite as long a way as they might have hoped. Even now, important gender differences persist, and they show up quite clearly in the realm of transportation.

The Spiked-Drink Myth

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:34:51 -0800

Drinking alcohol puts people at high risk for all kinds of misfortunes. Exposure to date-rape drugs, however, doesn't seem to be one of them. In a study published in the British Journal of Criminology, more than half of the 200 university students surveyed said they knew someone whose drink had been spiked. But judging from evidence in police and medical records, these numbers are probably highly inflated.

Need to Know How Charitable You Are? There's an App for That

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:57:00 -0800

Chapter 3 of SuperFreakonomics, called "Unbelievable Stories About Apathy and Altruism," takes a look at the research of John List (the Univ. of Chicago economist, not the notorious murderer of the same same - although the same chapter does cast a new light on a famous murder as well). List's research challenges the prevailing wisdom on a few decades' worth of lab experiments which seemed to prove that human beings are innately fair or even altruistic.

Just in Time for Christmas: Free Autographed Bookplates

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:59:34 -0800

If you'd like to turn your garden-variety copy of SuperFreakonomics (or Freakonomics) into a nifty autographed copy that suddenly seems much more gift-appropriate, you can sign up here for a free bookplate that is hand-signed by Levitt and Dubner. If all goes well, the Freakonomics elves will dispatch your bookplate via mail in plenty of time for the holidays. It'll look something like this:

Why California's Tuition Hike Might Be a Good Thing

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:50:27 -0800

Students at University of California schools have been protesting the decision of the Board of Regents "to raise undergraduate fees - the equivalent of tuition - 32 percent next fall." But higher tuition, if it is accompanied with higher financial aid for lower- and middle-income students, improves equity. As Aaron Edlin and I wrote back in 2003:

What's Your Best Externality?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:09:48 -0800

The last two years I've run an "externality" contest in my giant intro class, offering $5 to the student who comes up with the best example.

Fixing Poverty

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:22:27 -0800

Daron Acemoglu describes what makes a nation rich in a new article for Esquire. According to Acemoglu, experts who believe geography or the weather or technology are to blame for persistent poverty are missing a much simpler economic explanation: people respond to incentives.

Of God and Money

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:29:01 -0800

A priest, a minister, and a rabbi walk into an economics lab. Which one is most likely to increase contributions to the public good?

A Few Questions for Belle de Jour, Call Girl and Scientist

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:34 -0800

In 2003, a young American woman in London studying for her PhD. ran into money trouble. To support herself while writing her thesis, she joined an escort service. Under the assumed name Belle de Jour, she started to blog her experiences. That blog led to a series of successful, jaunty memoirs beginning with 2005's The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl. The books were adapted for television in the U.K. (where she is portrayed by Billie Piper) and later in the U.S.

Why Do We Hate?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:21:23 -0800

"What makes hate tick? How can we stop it?" These are the questions that Jim Mohr, director of Gonzaga University's Institute for Action Against Hate, asks himself every day as he develops a new field of study around hate. Mohr believes that despite all the devastating examples of hate in the world, no one really understands why one person hates another.