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Marginal Revolution

Marginal Revolution

Newsletter | United States | Centre-Right
marginalrevolution.com/

Economics blog by Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok covering economics, culture, and ideas.

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Articles

Discussions from Marginal Revolution

Economy

Is there a British productivity comeback?

Let us hope: Britain is seeing early signs of a long-awaited turnaround of its productivity woes, according to an alternative measure that suggests output per hour worked has risen at a pace not seen since before the financial crisis. The Resolution Foundation said a “blistering” productivity surge has been masked by problems with official statistics and pointed […] The post Is there a British productivity comeback? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsThe problem with productivity ...

United Kingdom
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Geopolitics

Fear of larger wars in East Africa

This is one of my major worries for 2026 and beyond. The ethnic and tribal conflict in Ethiopia is not finished, and it killed 700,000 people not long ago. Ethiopia still covets sea access and Eritrea, which at times in the past belong to Ethiopia anyway. Israel has recognized Somaliland, with a variety of other […] The post Fear of larger wars in East Africa appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesIs there a British productivity comeback?Greenland fact of the dayPodcast with Sa...

Ethiopia
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Education

Tim Kane on my visit to University of Austin

Here is the link, I should add that in addition to my enthusiasm for the students, the faculty also seemed quite good, most of all knowledgeable and open. I know very little about how the school is run, you might try this short piece from Arnold Kling, who has been visiting there for a week. […] The post Tim Kane on my visit to University of Austin appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Comments“Failure to contextualize is often the greatest “sin” of . by NickI am all for TCs principle of let...

United States
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Economy

Those new (old) service sector jobs, chimney sweep edition

Now, many sweeps, including those in the Firkins family business, say the trade has been experiencing an improbable resurgence. According to the National Association of Chimney Sweeps, demand has been bolstered by high energy prices, the popularity of wood-burning stoves and an international climate that has prompted warnings that electricity supplies could be vulnerable to attack by […] The post Those new (old) service sector jobs, chimney sweep edition appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION....

United States
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Business

Podcast with Salvador Duarte

Salvador is 17, and is an EV winner from Portugal. Here is the transcript. Here is the list of discussed topics: 0:00 – We’re discovering talent quicker than ever 5:14 – Being in San Francisco is more important than ever 8:01 – There is such a thing like a winning organization 11:43 – Talent and conformity […] The post Podcast with Salvador Duarte appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesMy excellent Conversation with Brendan FoodyNegative political externalities from migration t...

Global
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Technology

Saturday assorted links

1. Another AI-generated hit song. 2. AI does Tyler Cowen on AI. 3. Adam Tooze profile. 4. Egg prices fell about twenty percent this year, GPT will tell you that supply is elastic. 5. How difficult is Spanish to understand in various countries? (I think Chilean Spanish is not as tough as suggested here.) 6. […] The post Saturday assorted links appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION.

Global
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Culture

*Pee-wee as himself*

I loved this documentary, all three hours of it. Perhaps you need to be American, and to have lived in Pee-wee’s decades? In any case, the film is a wonderful reflection on self-knowledge, the changing status of “coming out” as gay in American history, celebrity, how fame happens, hippie culture, cancel culture, who your real […] The post Pee-wee as himself appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesWhat is the greatest artwork of the century so far?ResurrectionStories Beyond D...

United States
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Education

Childhood neighbors matter

We explore the role of immediate next door neighbors in affecting children’s later life occupation choice. Using linked historical census records for over 6 million boys and 4 million girls, we reconstruct neighborhood microgeography to estimate how growing up next door to someone in a particular occupation affects a child’s probability of working in that […] The post Childhood neighbors matter appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesGrade inflation sentences to ponderGrowth Exp...

United States
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Economy

The share of factor income paid to computers

Via Kevin Bryan. The post The share of factor income paid to computers appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIn reply to mento. This is why the tech bros will always be . by GridlockScale rocks! That I can use the same productivity software as . by raywardThis graph is figure 2 in the new paper By Chad Jones and . by mentoRelated StoriesClaims about AI and scienceA new economic model of AI and automationClaims about AI productivity improvements

United States
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Technology

Claims about AI and science

You should take these as quite context-specific numbers rather than as absolutes, nonetheless this is interesting: Scientists who engage in AI-augmented research publish 3.02 times more papers, receive 4.84 times more citations and become research project leaders 1.37 years earlier than those who do not. By contrast, AI adoption shrinks the collective volume of scientific […] The post Claims about AI and science appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Comments“AI adoption shrinks the collectiv...

United States
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Education

“Tyler Cowen’s AI campus”

That is a short essay by Arnold Kling. Excerpt: Tyler’s Vision As a student, you work with a mentor. At the beginning of each term, you and your mentor decide which courses you will take. If there are other students on campus taking them, great. If not, maybe you can take them with students at […] The post “Tyler Cowen’s AI campus” appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesThose new service sector jobsClaims about AI and scienceThe share of factor income paid to computers

United States
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Economy

China’s supply chain problems

They exist in manufacturing too, and perhaps this should help you feel a little better about American problems: A January 2024 report on China’s wind power sector by researchers at Tsinghua University found that it remained heavily dependent on imports for crucial parts — including 60 per cent of the bearings that support their rotors, […] The post China’s supply chain problems appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesThomas Sargent is a wise manMarkets in everything?Negative pol...

China
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