-
Recent Posts
Twitter Updates
- The coming fight over net neutrality, and why you should care wp.me/p1vcSX-CL 2 days ago
- Great Gatsby isn't in the public domain, 88 years after publication and 73 years after Fitzgerald died. Here's why: wp.me/p1vcSX-CR 4 days ago
- RT @seanjtaylor: I think I like zip hoodies so much because they're the closest thing to a robe you can wear in public. 5 days ago
Archives
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
Links
- A Fine Theorem
- Andrew Gelman
- Brendan Nyhan
- Cheap Talk
- Chris Blattman
- Flowing Data
- Kids Prefer Cheese
- Kieran Healy
- Marc F. Bellemare
- Marginal Revolution
- Modeled Behavior
- My Dataverse
- My Github
- Phil Arena
- Political Methodology
- Restricted Data blog
- The Monkey Cage
- Tunes for Bears
- Turing's Invisibile Hand
- WhyHat?
Meta
Tag Archives: micro-institutions
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 economics, politics, research, behavior, history, crime, political science, education, nerd, micro-institutions, culture, micro-institutions everywhere, how-to, signalling
6 Comments
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 behavior, coffee, culture, education, history, how-to, micro-institutions, micro-institutions everywhere, politics, public opinion, research, technology
2 Comments
Dollar Bills and US State Borders
A number of proposals (not all serious) have been floating around lately to redraw the borders of the US. According to this list nearly every US state has groups wanting to partition it somehow. One idea was fifty states with … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged algorithms, behavior, borders, culture, data, economics, map, mapping, maps, micro-institutions, micro-institutions everywhere, nerd, networks, partition, political science, politics, research, statistics, trade, traffic
3 Comments
Reducing the Hidden Costs of Urban Living
USC graduate student Jeremy Fuller put it eloquently when he said, “Traffic really just defines your possibilities at any given time.” When traveling from one side of a large metro area to another in the US, a single individual has very … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged data, politics, behavior, traffic, transportation, technology, rationality, statistics, traffic circles, urban politics, nerd, micro-institutions, culture, ethical statistics, micro-institutions everywhere, how-to, traffic signals, traffic lights, commuting
Leave a comment
Etiquette in the Digital Age
It happens whenever new communication technology comes into widespread use. Standard forms of behavior that worked well in the past are less suitable for the new medium. When the telephone was invented, people were unsure how to greet the caller. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged behavior, culture, etiquette, internet politics, micro-institutions, micro-institutions everywhere, nerd, norms, online politics, politics, rhetoric, rules
3 Comments
Ruby’s Benevolent Dictator
The first version of the Ruby programming language was developed by Yukihiro Matsumoto, better known as “Matz,” in 1995. Since then it has become especially popular for web development thanks to the advent of Rails by DHH. A variety of … Continue reading
America and Food Trucks: A Proud but Troubled Relationship
America has a proud history of mobile food vendors who have gone on to become magnates of industry. Marcus Goldman, founder of Goldman Sachs, found his first job in America peddling food from a horse-drawn cart on the streets of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged economics, food, food trucks, fun, micro-institutions, micro-institutions everywhere, mobile food, politics, regulation, technology
Leave a comment
The Randomness of Borders
Rivers and oceans help to form natural boundaries, but if it’s a straight line you can bet that it’s essentially random–and it might even be in the wrong place: Four Corners Monument, which marks the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged data, economics, education, elections, ethical statistics, foreign policy, fun, history, how-to, international relations, micro-institutions, micro-institutions everywhere, Middle East, nerd, political science, politics, research, technology, violence, war
Leave a comment
Coughing at Classical Concerts
Not being an opera fan myself I will take their word for it: Classical concerts comes with a set of very strict rules for the public: you cannot applaud while the music plays (the only exception being after opera arias), … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged behavior, culture, entertainment, fun, how-to, micro-institutions, micro-institutions everywhere, Music, nerd, norms, politics, politics of everyday life, rationality, rhetoric, rules
Leave a comment
Micro-Institutions at the Gym
Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal has 27 rules for the gym, and then 25 more. Below are some interesting examples of norms and insider know-how. There’s coded language: “Great job!” is trainer-speak for “It’s not polite for me … Continue reading
