Environmental Economics

The Marginal Revolution review of SuperFreakonomics

Environmental economics angles (SuperFreakonomics):

My favorite part of the book was the presentation of the List-Levitt critique of experimental economics.  In particular the authors discuss whether the subject participants are more cooperative to begin with and also whether they are primed to please the experimenter.  The biographical information on John List is fascinating.

...

Geo-engineering, as a response to global warming, receives more pages than any other single topic.

The official environmental economics review is forthcoming in the next couple of years.

Picture of the Day

My alma mater makes the 9/28 front page of D3football.com with the caption:

It's fair to call Centre a surprise. Are the Colonels for real?

Go to the podcast and move forward to about 14 minutes to hear that the D3 guys think Centre is for real. Yet, we still must travel to Millsaps and Trinity.

I saw them play a couple of weeks ago and can honestly say I wish I had paid more attention.

Quote of the day

Senator John Kerry, in the NY Times on either the Waxman-Markey Energy Bill out of the House, or the Boxer-Kerry Energy Bill soon to be released out of the Senate (the writer isn't exactly clear to which bill the quote is referring):

"I don't know what 'cap and trade' means. I don't think the average American does.This is not a cap-and-trade bill, it's a pollution reduction bill"

I agree. I agree. I disagree, I agree.

Carbon taxes vs. caps: one more time

Guest post from Jim Roumasset:

I'm fair (but not hot)

After 14 years of teaching, someone finally rated me on ratemyprofessors.com (and all it took was me announcing to the class that my goal for the quarter was to be rated on ratemyprofessors).  The good news: apparently I'm very fair. 

Great prof, very fair. Gives many examples and is always willing to help. The tests are pretty easy IF you go to class. 

More good news: my talking is more interesting than Mankiw's writing:

... good luck reading [Mankiw's principles] textbook. It's boring!

The bad news...no chili peppers (Hotness).

The last time someone called me shallow ... I had to agree

From Aguanomics:

Some good, non-water blogs are:

• Environmental Economics offers broad and shallow comment on that field, with an emphasis on valuation, climate policy, transport, and beer.

Is Mankiw being completely above board?

The title to this post is inspired by Tim's email from the stats department at tOSU but it fits Mankiw's  baffling August 9th attempt at making Siamese twins out of climate policy and tax cuts (A missed opportunity on climate change).

This is why I don't gamble on sports

Text message from John, Saturday afternoon before the Ohio State-Illinois football game:

I'll take Illinois and the 20.5 points

My reply:

Safe bet.

Final score: OSU 30-Illinois 0.

Is Krugman being completely above board?

In reference to Paul Krugman's NYTimes piece yesterday on the basic economics of cap and trade, I received this e-mail from a colleague in Statistics at Ohio State:

Is Krugman being completely above board?

My reply:

First, I'll state I'm not a big fan of Krugman's political commentary.  With that said, he pretty much nails this basic textbook explanation of the efficiency gains from cap and trade.  He plays a little loose with the auction details.  There's absolutely no guarantee in the legislation that any revenues from auctions will be used to offset other distortionary taxes--although if they are, many economists would be dancing in the streets (since this reducing distortionary taxes would be even more efficiency enhancing). 

I'm at Woods Hole!

Almost 21 years after my failed interview at the new PdD job market during the ASSA meetings with WHOI, I've made a trip to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. That interview wasn't unique, I had a large number of failed interviews in 1989, including Appalachian State University. We arrived late last night so I haven't seen much, but the 5th floor of the Clark Lab building has a great view of the ocean (I think it is the ocean).

Around 11:40 I'll be delivering the right-before-lunch talk ("Some economics of sea level rise" [PDF]), so I'll try not to go more than 15 or 20 minutes past my allotted time (smile).This is the last scheduled talk during the week long Understanding Future Sea Level Rise workshop. I'm definitely sure that the audience will be 100% fresh and engaged, especially when I drone and drawl on and on.

I'll also be on a MORSS Colloquium panel this afternoon (that's the poster on the right).