Category Archives: The dismal science

Piketty’s World Inequality Review: A Critical Analysis

Thomas Piketty and his colleagues have insisted that tax records are better for measuring inequality than income surveys. They’re wrong.

Journey into a Libertarian Future: Part IV – The Journey into a Libertarian Past

Further discussion of the implications of the ideas of an influential conservative libertarian.

Journey into a Libertarian Future: Part III – Regulation

Andrew Dittmer continues his series on the world that some conservative libertarian thinkers would like to establish.

Michael Hudson: The Vocabulary of Economic Deception

Michael Hudson gives a wide-ranging interview, discussing the importance of euphemism in obscuring power relationships and exploitation.

CalPERS Admits Its New Private Equity Funds Will Dilute Returns, Seeks to Change Benchmark to Hide That; Presents Other Questionable Claims as Top Investors Underperform Due to “Alternative Investments”

Awfully late in the game, CalPERS finally tries to ‘splain its private equity plans. The giant fund only digs its hole deeper.

The Inconvenient Truth about Climate Change and the Economy

The new IPCC Report is overly optimistic about global productivity growth and fossil fuel energy use. More dramatic, immediate action on climate change is needed

Brexitonomics

A short discussion of why economists’ efforts to model the impact of Brexit leave a lot to be desired.

Machine Learning and Economics

Some economists contend that machine learning and AI can improve economics.

How Economists Impede Addressing Climate Change

Earth to economists: you are a big part of the climate change problem.