Category: Weblogs
The role of the blogosphere
New research supports the notion that we fixate on enemies, and inflate their power, as a defense mechanism against generalized anxiety.
The longer article is here. This is another way of putting the point:
According to one school of thought, this tendency to exaggerate the strength of our adversaries serves a specific psychological function. It is less scary to place all our fears on a single, strong enemy than to accept the fact our well-being is largely based on factors beyond our control. An enemy, after all, can be defined, analyzed and perhaps even defeated.
Message for *The Atlantic*
Give us your blogs back. We're right about this one, just trust us. We love you AM, but as it stands now, you've destroyed them. There's more here and here.
Addendum: Ezra offers his analysis. And some fixes are forthcoming.
Bob Hahn and Peter Passell are blogging
The focus will be on the economics of regulation. There is further explanation here.
In what way is blogging science?
Scott Sumner has a long and thoughtful post. Here is one bit:
According to the Official Method, none of these tidbits matter. But I have noticed that they have had some impact on my readers. They are each slightly persuasive about some aspect of my argument.
It has to be read in the context of the longer post, but it's a very important point. And this:
So that’s the goal of my blog, to constantly use theoretical arguments, empirical data, clever metaphors, and historical analogies that make people see the current situation in a new way.
Read the whole thing. It's one of the best statements of how blogging can make a difference; just don't call Scott a blogger…
Excellent blog on how to help poor countries
Good Intentions are Not Enough.
Here's an excellent post on why you should not judge charities by their "administrative costs."
This is a very good and very useful blog.
What’s actually in the health care bill
Here's a new blog devoted to that topic.
Request for requests
It can't hurt to try.
This is a test (but not a trick)
I'm interested in understanding why MR has such a high-quality comments section. I'd like you to consider this passage, from today's Guardian (not today's Onion), and try to write high-quality comments on it.
The statement, read out by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's
permanent observer to the UN, defended its record by claiming that
"available research" showed that only 1.5%-5% of Catholic clergy were
involved in child sex abuse.
Let's see how you do. If you can indeed produce high-quality comments, it means you're better than the other blog commentators. If you can't, maybe it means that Alex and I are in some way better with regard to what we post and how we present it. In that case, once our splendid framing is off-scene, you revert to your usual, rotten selves. I want you to end up with most of the credit.
John Taylor is blogging
Here, and the word comes from Greg Mankiw.
The IMF has a new blog
You'll find it here. Remember the good ol' days when everyone wondered whether the IMF had anything to do?
Kaufmann Blogger Forum Video
Here is the link, lots of top bloggers were there. I need to run and teach my first class of the semester (more on that in due time), so I don't have any idea what is actually in the video. I just know it has to be good.
Paul Romer’s blog
Chartercities.org, it's just getting started. For the pointer I thank Mike Gibson.
Request for requests
But no promises are offered, of course. Comments are open!
WSJ article on the economics blogosphere
Here is the ungated link, it also covers MarginalRevolution and has a good picture of Alex. It seems silly to excerpt the discussion of MR because you are already here. But for a long time Alex and I had the plan to first write a blog and then write a textbook.
Maniacs, all of us
Is blogging declining? Matt writes:
Laura at Apartment 11D offers an excellent précis
of the ways in which the blogosphere of today lacks much of the charm
of the blogosphere of four or five years ago. I would say that there
are compensating benefits to the new, more professionalized, more
institutionalized blogosphere. But it really is different and the
change has been for the worse in many ways.
Laura links to many comments. I'm more optimistic. Very few (if any) of my favorite bloggers have quit and of course there are some new ones. It's surprising how few of them have quit. (If blogging is so great, why hasn't competition competed away their returns? What about comparative advantage in this sector is so persistent?) The rest of the output you can ignore.