In response to my post about some of economist Gary Becker's views on crime, "russ" leaves a comment with a couple of interesting points:I would think the failure of the war on drugs is the evidence AGAINST Becker’s idea that increased punishment reduces crime. Just because criminalizing drugs hasn't made them go away completely doesn't mean that criminalization has no … [Read more...] about Crime and Incentives
Gary Becker on Crime
One of the giant minds of economics, Gary Becker, passed away on Saturday. Among other things, he and Kevin Murphy were pioneers in the idea of rational addiction, which I wrote about last year. That was just one example of his approach to applying the tools of economic thinking to a wide variety of other fields such as discrimination, family life, politics, and crime.It's … [Read more...] about Gary Becker on Crime
Stealth In the Parking Lot
I did some grocery shopping at lunch today, and on my way back to my car, as I was threading my way through the parking lot, an empty car next to me started rolling forward. Several thoughts ran through my head: Was any part of it going to hit me? What was in it's path? Other cars? People? Could I catch up to the driver's door and try to get in to stop it? --As I was … [Read more...] about Stealth In the Parking Lot
How Bill Nye Debates Creationism
When word got around that Bill Nye (“The Science Guy”) was going to debate Ken Ham, the founder of the Creation Museum, I was skeptical because just understanding the science of evolution is not good enough, you also have to understand and be prepared for all the creationist criticisms of evolution, and most scientists have no reason to learn about those.Among other things, … [Read more...] about How Bill Nye Debates Creationism
Death Doesn’t Have to Knock: A Modest Proposal
In the past few years, the states have been facing increasing difficulties obtaining the drugs they need to carry out their death penalties. This is in part because manufacturers have been refusing to make the drugs available for use in executions. So instead of using the traditional three-drug sequence, states have been experimenting with new drugs. However, since they don't … [Read more...] about Death Doesn’t Have to Knock: A Modest Proposal