Results for “markets in everything”
1885 found

Markets in everything, postal edition

by  Tyler Cowen in

Have cards sent to atheists after the Rapture.  "The Postal Service of the Saved," it works like this:

Just write your letter and it will be hand-delivered immediately
following the exodus of the pure from the Earth. But you must be
thinking to yourself, "How can the letters be delivered after the
Rapture?"  The answer is simple.  The creators of this site are Atheists.  That’s right, we don’t believe in God.  How else would we be able to deliver your correspondence after the Rapture? 

Markets in everything, even if they don’t quite clear

by  Tyler Cowen in

This was on ebay:

You are bidding on the contact information for my friend who acquired a PS3 by waiting  in line outside Best Buy for two days in advance. I was there with him the entire time, but already sold mine. He has in his posession a PS3, extra controller, extra charger, three games (Resistance, Madden, and Ridge Racer), and a 2 year replacement plan. Keep in mind that you are not bidding on an actual system, but only the information where you might obtain one. You will be able to contact him and he is very willing to sell if the price is right. The unit is in the Atlanta, GA area and he would be willing to deliver in person if close by. PayPal is the only payment form accepted.

There were 20 bids and the final price was $1,100.

Markets in everything

by  Tyler Cowen in

Wuhan, my hometown in Central China, plans to sell the right to name streets, bridges, public plazas and high-rise buildings to businesses in exchange for money the municipal government desperately needs to make up for a "funding shortage in government operations."

Here is the story, and thanks to Petras Kudaras for the pointer.

Robert Tagorda sends along a story of governments doing the buying rather than the selling:

State leaders have tried for years to get more minority and low-income high school students to take tougher classes. One group Thursday proposed an eye-opening idea: Pay students to take the classes.  The Minnesota Private College Council called on the state to spend $50 million a year to pay eligible high school students who take and pass college-prep classes.

Alex once blogged on Roland Fryer, and paying students to get better grades.

Markets in everything: African dictator edition

by  Tyler Cowen in

Hmm…I had just been thinking about related ideas:

Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim (of Celtel fame) has created a $5 million dollar cash prize for Africa’s most effective head of state.

Each
year the winning leader will, at the end of his term, get $5m (£2.7m)
over 10 years and $200,000 (£107,000) each year for life thereafter.
"We need to remove corruption and improve governance," Mr Ibrahim said.

…The Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership will
be launched in London on Thursday… It will be available only to a
president who democratically transfers power to his successor.  Harvard
University will do the measuring to see just how well the president has
served his or her people during their term in office.

Here is more, and thanks to Pablo for the pointer.  The prize sounds too small, relative to the lure of corruption, but I see no reason not to try this idea.

Markets in everything, canine edition

by  Tyler Cowen in

Ice cream maker Good Humor and pet food producer Pedigree have announced plans to produce ice cream sandwiches for dogs.

Apparently this is not a stupid pet snack. The companies said they needed a special formula for the dairy treats, as many dogs are lactose intolerant and cannot easily digest regular ice cream.

Here is the story, and thanks to Robert Stewart for the pointer.