Tag Archives: how-to

More on Food Truck Regulation

More on the plight of food truck operators in NYC, from the Times: There are numerous (and sometimes conflicting) regulations required by the departments of Health, Sanitation, Transportation and Consumer Affairs. These rules are enforced, with varying consistency, by the New … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Great Gatsby, Copyright, and the Public Domain

Is the Great Gatsby in the public domain? The book was written in 1925 and Fitzgerald passed away in 1940. Copyright generally expires 70 years after the author’s death, so you could be forgiven for thinking the answer is “yes.” If … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Internet Sales Tax FAQ

We’ve got a week of Internet politics-related topics queued up for you this week. Today we’ll take a look at the prospect of an internet sales tax. Later in the week we’ll discuss why The Great Gatsby still isn’t in the public … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Micro-Institutions Everywhere: Gypsy Law

Forthcoming from Peter Leeson (who previously brought us an analysis of pirate democracy), a new paper on self-governance among Gypsies (via Mike Munger): Gypsies are nomads. They’re often separated from one another, which precludes direct monitoring. Further, Gypsies’ locations are … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Python for Political Scientists, Spring 2013 Recap

This spring Josh Cutler‘s Python course was back by popular demand. (This time it was known as “Computational Political Economy” but I like the less formal title.) I participated this time around as a teaching assistant rather than student, and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Micro-Institutions Everywhere: 8-Hour Sleep

For much of European history it was common to sleep in two chunks of about four hours each, separated by a one- to two-hour period of waking activity: [Historian Roger] Ekirch found that references to the first and second sleep … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Micro-Institutions Everywhere: The Five-Day Work Week

When it came about in the early 20th century, the five-day workweek was a triumph. Labor unions bargained collectively to get workers another day off, doubling their free time to enjoy the country’s booming prosperity. Now, though, it is an anachronistic … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Aesthetic Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy

On episode 18 of the Loopcast, Sina and his guest discuss fashion and national security. Around 23:00 comes the money quote: “There’s a lot of black hair dye involved being a dictator.” Here’s the logic: [I]n a democracy, your hair … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blogging, Two Years On

Tuesday marked the second anniversary of YSPR. I wrote the first post while at a political science conference, so it seems fitting that I spent the last couple of weeks travelling to ISA and MPSA. From those two conferences it … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Can Novels Teach Us?

Is it worthwhile for a social scientist to read fiction? What can novels teach us about human behavior? This post summarizes the work of several authors who would answer the first question with a resounding “yes,” and describes their arguments … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments