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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

Culture

My Conversation with the excellent Joel Mokyr

Here is the audio, video, and transcript. Here is part of the episode summary: Tyler and Joel discuss European corporations vs. Chinese clans, why the Catholic Church became obsessed with cousin-marriage, how persistent cultural trends really are, why Chinese cities became so populous relative to Europe, why it took so long for European living standards […] The post My Conversation with the excellent Joel Mokyr appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesWhat to Watch and NotWhat sh...

Global
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Infrastructure

Why we stopped making land

From Zigmund Forrest and Maxwell Tabarrok in Works in Progress: In total, around eight percent of the land in America’s major coastal cities was underwater in the 1890s and has since been reclaimed. This includes the land under several major airports, like Newark, Logan, and SFO, as well as neighborhoods like the Financial District in […] The post Why we stopped making land appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesRent Control: The Ceiling TrapWhat should I ask Liaquat Ahamed?How...

United States
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Technology

Can AI models consent to their own constitutions?

From Nick Caputo: NEW paper from me on SSRN: Can Claude consent to its own Constitution? AI constitutions (like Claude’s Constitution and the OpenAI Model Spec) are real constitutions, and we need to take how they govern us – and the AIs they create – seriously. In this paper, I apply constitutional theory’s oldest paradox […] The post Can AI models consent to their own constitutions? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesThe Troubled History of Government Equity in Technology...

United States
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Economy

Capital Gains Can Be Labor Income

Zwick and Zidar argue that a substantial share of the decline in labor share can be accounted for by changing forms of pay, including pass-throughs and equtiy compensation. In particular, if an employee is paid in stock and that stock increases in value then the tax rules tend to count some of that as capital […] The post Capital Gains Can Be Labor Income appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIRS tax… 83b election wage income to capital gains by AtomRelated StoriesDo falling birth ra...

United States
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Politics

Ilya Somin defends the American Revolution

1. Far from retarding the abolition of slavery, the Revolution actually accelerated it. Its triumph gave a big boost to Enlightenment liberalism, which inspired the First Emancipation in the US (the abolition of slavery in the North that became the first large-scale emancipation of slaves in modern history), and boosted antislavery movements in Europe, as well. 2. […] The post Ilya Somin defends the American Revolution appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIn reply to Dismalist. Suga...

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Culture

*What Makes a Great Composer?: A Data-Driven Exploration of Music History*

A very good book, forthcoming, by Karol J. Borowiecki and Marc Lawx, here is the Amazon link, here is the Princeton University Press page. The post What Makes a Great Composer?: A Data-Driven Exploration of Music History appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsLaw, not Lawx by Glenn Mercer“What Makes a Great Composer?: A Data-Driven Exploration of . by deariemePeak economics imperialism. by MLCRelated StoriesRent Control: The Ceiling TrapJackson Dahl podcasts with me and Nabeel on ae...

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Environment

The history of heat deaths in Europe (from my email)

I will not double indent, all of what follows is from economic historian Daniel Gallardo Albarrán of the Netherlands: “…you posted a link to an article on how Europe became the world champion of heat deaths. Something that the article did not cover, which I find particularly outrageous is that Europe used to be at the forefront of […] The post The history of heat deaths in Europe (from my email) appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related Stories*What Makes a Great Composer?: A Data-Driven...

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Culture

Why we love this country

A Free Press feature for the 250th, here is my entry: Tyler Cowen can’t decide, so he picks about 20 things instead. My favorite thing about America is that I do not have a single favorite thing. We have the NBA (with a Toronto team too), the world’s best AI models, Alexander Calder sculptures, a […] The post Why we love this country appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Comments“America goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy” . by Calvin HobbesIn reply to Dismalist. My second-gen...

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Culture

Tyler, Nabeel, and Jackson on French thinkers

Nabeel: (57:47) …For example, there’s a French thinker called Jacques Derrida. I probably should go and read him at some point, but I’m not entirely convinced there is a there there, and I don’t know anyone who swears by it. If Tyler told me, “Nabeel, you are missing a big piece of your life by […] The post Tyler, Nabeel, and Jackson on French thinkers appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesMy Conversation with Joanne PaulWhat should I ask Daron Acemoglu?Jackson Dahl podcasts w...

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Business

The most profitable crypto investors and firms

Here is the source. Here is from the editors at The Free Press. Here is more from Mene Ukueberuwa. The post The most profitable crypto investors and firms appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIn reply to JF. Wasn't the Trump family imported from . by wait.In reply to Glenn Mercer. Hang on, the insider trading is . by Joe BadoyasIn reply to Old Primate. One purpose of the scamming is . by RandallIn reply to Randall. The bigger concern really isn't Trump's . by Old PrimateIn reply to ...

United States
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Technology

A scientific benefit (and cost) of AI innovation

What changed was that the cost of preliminary exploration collapsed. I could sketch an argument, identify the first serious objections, test whether they were fatal, and reach a provisional verdict in an afternoon rather than a fortnight. This sounds like a simple acceleration, and the more profound effect was on what I was willing to […] The post A scientific benefit (and cost) of AI innovation appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsYes, Pangram confirms this passage is 100% AI gener...

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Culture

America the Beautiful, 250 years!

The post America the Beautiful, 250 years! appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsNobody ever better delivered the spirit and soul of America . by RandallRelated StoriesReconstruction of the FablesJackson Dahl podcasts with me and Nabeel on aestheticsMusic markets remain deglobalized

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