Jan Freeman writes The Word column for Ideas.
Joshua Glenn is a Boston-based writer, editor, and multimedia
producer.
Christopher Shea writes the Critical Faculties column for Ideas.
 Send the Brainiac bloggers a
comment on a post.
  Week of:
November 11
Week of:
November 4
Week of:
October 28
Week of:
October 21
Week of:
October 14
Week of:
October 7
Mind the gap
Shop talk What he learned in the newsroom Mr. Boffo lays an eggcorn Curse of the mummy's tummy More in Word Watch  |
« Postmodern paleo-futurism | Main | The MSM's April Fool's Day hoaxes » Thursday, March 29, 2007The Freakonomics effect (+ Talkfest)There's a fine essay online at TNR today (from the April 02 issue of the magazine) about the "evil spawn of 'Freakonomics.'"  Ever since the book came out in 2005, complains Noam Scheiber, the field of economics has had a "cleverness problem." He asks: What young economist wants to solve the world's most intractable problems--poverty, inequality, unemployment--when it's so much sexier (and more lucrative) to study point-shaving in college basketball, underused gym memberships, and the parking tickets of U.N. diplomats? Scheiber responds to critiques -- made at the blog Marginal Revolution, by economists/popularizers Alex Tabarrok and Tyler Cowen -- at TNR's blog The Plank. Talkfest of the week? Posted by Joshua Glenn at 10:15 AM
|
