College
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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008I’m preoccupied studying for a Macro test, but here are some interesting stories/sites I have come across recently. Unigo.com: Provides uncensored student reviews of almost every college and university in America. Similar to the Princeton Review, except up-to-date, uncensored, and much more interactive. Prospective college students making a monumental decision are plagued by asymmetric information. […]
Favorite Lines of the Day
Sunday, September 7th, 2008From Will Wilkinson: That Palin reminded my of my school teachers is a matter of her acquired manner and the assumptions beneath them, a matter of her Upper-Midwest-sounding accent. I’m from a small town. She’s from a small town! And damn straight: people who study at the University of Idaho (which is, in fact, where […]
Student Blogging: Brilliant or Boring?
Thursday, August 21st, 2008I’ve been preparing for the Intermediate Microeconomics class I will teach this fall. While working on my syllabus, I considered creating a blog and assigning each student in my class to contribute a post. I thought it would be a good way to get students thinking about economics in their everyday lives and would offer […]
Tornadoes and Chance
Thursday, June 12th, 2008I got the book Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in the mail the other day. I happened to pick it up this evening as the Tornado sirens blared in Manhattan, KS. Taleb argues that often humans attribute skill to outcomes that are really the result of chance. Successful people may be playing games […]
Guns
Saturday, May 17th, 2008In the wake of recent school shootings, a group on campus has been petitioning the university to allow students to conceal and carry hand guns on campus. I have never owned a gun but have shot guns with a number of friends. A fellow economics major at Idaho took me out one afternoon to shoot […]
My Arms Hurt
Friday, February 22nd, 2008The other day I lifted weights for the first time in months. There are some tangible benefits to larger muscles. I would enjoy being able to dunk a basketball with authority. And, stronger arms would have been useful when I removed my refrigerator yesterday. However, if we are honest, looking good drives most people’s desires […]
Happy Valentine’s Day
Thursday, February 14th, 2008I’m not really qualified to be giving Valentine’s Day advice. But, you should check out self-described aspiring economist Glen Weyl’s Valentine’s Day guide to going to the movies. Valentine’s Day reminds me of how important signaling is in our relationships with one another. We put such an emphasis on picking the right gift or finding […]
Another Reason Not to Go Greek
Monday, November 26th, 2007My undergraduate university had a very large Greek system. There were 19 fraternities, 9 sororities, and 45 percent of students were in the Greek living system. I had some Greek friends, and was recruited by a couple friends to join there respective fraternities. The idea of buying into a group of “brothers” for life seemed […]
Coffee Shop Discrimination
Monday, November 12th, 2007I’m always a little suspicious of research studies looking for discrimination in a competitive market. So, when I read Tim Hartford’s piece over at Slate examining research out of Middlebury College on whether coffee shops discriminate against women, I wanted to take a look at the study. Caitlin Myers from Middlebury College had five undergraduate […]
Fair Trade Hypocrisy
Thursday, November 8th, 2007The cover story in the most recent copy of my campus magazine, Statements, highlights the Fair Trade movement. The article, by Sara Kentzler, begins: “Imagine farmers struggling every day to sell their crops. Their families go unfed, and for their young children school is an outlandish dream. The products these experienced farmers sell are of […]
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