Good short reads

I read way, way, way too many economics articles, but I am always looking for a prompt to help make the best decisions possible. (Economics isn't the study of money per se, but rather an explanation of decision making.)

What follows are a collection of mainstream articles by economists that really caught my eye this month.

First up: great tips from an economist on how to find great food when dining out. Tyler Cowen presents 6 ways that thinking like an economist will result in a better meal and a better deal.

Next: 25 great quotes from Thomas Sowell. A brilliant economist, Sowell is most known for making economics accessible and for challenging on economic grounds racial and political orthodoxy.

Then: Cowen on how America is changing and what it will mean for the next generation. If you read one economics article this month, read this one. His analysis is fundamentally econometric, but the real highlight are the distilled implications and strong, direct conclusions.

Finally, here's a cool graphic that sums up the case against the TSA:



Created by: OnlineCriminalJusticeDegree.com

Interesting quote.....

I just finished listening to a podcast featuring noted economist Thomas Sowell, promoting his new book Economic Facts and Fallacies.

Sowell made some great points, so I did a little research on him and returned this quote that while damning, is true:

"Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good. In area after area - crime, education, housing, race relations - the situation has gotten worse after the bright new theories were put into operation. The amazing thing is that this history of failure and disaster has neither discouraged the social engineers nor discredited them."

We need to find a way to 1) score the impact of social engineering, and following that 2) put to sleep s the social engineering programs that are distructive, 3) erase political incentives for promoting ill-conceived or ill-executed social engineering. (Right now, the political system rewards politicians and candidates that introduce new programs, such as Hillary Clinton's "Baby Bonds" program.)