Archive for the 'Debates' Category

May9th2007

Capitalism Vs. Others - A Discussion

This post is a continuation of the discussion between me and tin that started here and continued here.
Let me start the discussion with some definitions. I define communism, or more generally collectivism, as any economic system that exhibits the following criteria,
1. Little to no property rights
2. little to no free trade
3. the means of production […]

Sep8th2006

Economics Debate: Why Are We Getting Fatter?

The Wall Street Journal has posted another economics debate. This time it is between Darius Lakdawalla and Carol Graham, on the topic of American obesity (No subscription needed for 10 days).
The debate can be found here.
My favorite parts:
It’s no secret that Americans have been getting fatter over the last several decades. But in fact, weight […]

Jul24th2006

Why Such An Increase In Immigration?

The Wall Street Journal has another econoblog debate and this time the topic is immigration.
Gordon Hanson, professor of economics at UCSD, answers why there has been such a drastic increase in Mexican immigration:
Mexican immigrants now account for about 5% of the U.S. labor force (and 35% of the immigrant labor force), up from less […]

Jun7th2006

The Growing Irrelevance Of Income Inequality

Economists Heather Boushey of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Russell Roberts a professor of economics at George Mason University debate income inequality in the Wall Street Journal econoblog here.
Here are some notable quotes:
First, consider the level of inequality that we can actually perceive in our daily lives, as opposed to the level […]

Feb20th2006

Economics Debate: Stitching a New Safety Net

The Wall Street Journal has posted another economics debate. This time it is between Mark Thoma of EconomistsView blog and Andrew Samwick of Vox Baby blog, on the topic of Social Security, Medicare, and Health Care Reforms (No subscription needed for 30 15 days).
The debate can be found here.
My favorite parts:
We do several things […]

Dec5th2005

Economists Debate: How Should Tax Reform Be Done?

I’m a bit late on this but the Wall Street has another econodebate. This time it is a new and repeated debate between Max Sawicky and Tyler Cowen, on the topic of Tax Reform. It is a must read for those interested in the tax reform debate (No subscription needed for 30 days).
More on the […]

Sep21st2005

Debating Economic Literacy

Two economics professors, Russell Roberts and William Polley, debate economic literacy, and what can be done about it here (the link will expire tomorrow).
Maybe we need a new name for what we do when we talk about tradeoffs and unintended consequences, emergent prices, market forces and the seen and the unseen — the whole […]

Sep13th2005

Europe vs. USA - Again

For those of you that don’t know, there is a long-standing disagreement amongst economists of various leanings on what economic model is better for a country. On the one hand, you get ‘liberal’ leaning economists who prefer regulations, government services, and an overall welfare state system, than on the other hand, you get the more […]

Aug24th2005

Are School Vouchers The Next Great Civil Rights Issue?

Legal affairs hosted a debate on whether or not school vouchers are the next great civil rights issue. Clint Bolick, President and General Counsel for the Alliance for School Choice, took the affirmative and Laura Underkuffler, a professor at Duke Law School, took the negative. The debate can be found here and here.
Clint Bolick […]

Aug23rd2005

A List Of Econoblogger Debates

Economist Max Sawicky, blogging over at MaxSpeak, gives us a list of the Wall Street Journal Online Econoblog debates.
Update: Bloggers Barry Ritholtz vs Andrew Samwick on whether we are Shopped Out?

Aug19th2005

Economists Debate: Is The Labor Market Doing Good?

Is the labor market doing good? Does the falling unemployment figures give an accurate picture of how the economy is doing? Economists on both sides of the aisle debate precisely that. This time it is between Max Sawicky and Tom Walker on one side, and David Altig on the other. The debate should be free […]

Aug5th2005

Conservative And Liberal Dialogue Is Good

For those of you that don’t know, shortly after the 2004 election, I was asked to be a guest on a liberal blog. The owner of the blog, Oso, was disappointed by the results of the election and felt more dialogue between the two sides was needed. The idea was to open up communication between […]

May17th2005

Intrinsic Sex Differences And The Role They Play: A Debate

The edge has a debate “on the research on mind, brain, and behavior that may be relevant to gender disparities in the sciences, including the studies of bias, discrimination and innate and acquired difference between the sexes”. The debate is between Steven Pinker, the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, […]

Apr19th2005

Economics Debate: How Is The Economy Doing?

The Wall Street Journal has posted another economics debate. This time it is between John Irons and Arnold Kling, on the topic of how healthy is the U.S. economy, really? Are we on the edge of a recession or a boom? It is a must read for those interested in the state of our economy […]

Apr7th2005

Affirmative Action Debate

For those of you interested in the affirmative action debate, there is a very lively debate on whether or not affirmative action hurts black law students. The debate is betweeen Professor of Law at UCLA Rick Sander and Associate Professor of Law at Indiana University Bill Henderson. Rick Sander, as some of you probably […]

Apr4th2005

Economists Debate: Is A High Amount Of Foreign Investors In US Bonds A Cause For Worry?

Described by Andrew Samwick, Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, as “the best WSJ Econoblog yet“, the Wall Street Journal has published another economic debate. This time it is between Nouriel Roubini and David Altig and the question is “Does Overseas Appetite for Bonds Put the U.S. Economy at Risk?”. The debate should be free […]