Friday, 4 October 2013

Various teaching links

1. Economics: the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the world?

Via Pereia we have this question:Economics: the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the world?

People outside Chemistry would never go round saying that Organic Chemistry was the biggest fraud ever in the world.  They would not have the knowledge to judge.  I find it disappointing that non-economists seem to be able to make these assertions not knowing about Economics.  Or, more accurately, they seem to have a view of  the kind of Economics poorly taught to them in the dim past.  I hope they come to Imperial to study it and get a different view.

2. The Age of Edison by Ernest Freeberg
As a piece of technology history, I like this book and a nice review here.

3. More on the history of technology

Is ICT like electricity?  Chad Syverson paper
Is ICT like steam? Nick Crafts paper.

4.  Don Boudreaux 
On the perennial topic http://cafehayek.com/2013/10/on-the-relatively-low-salaries-of-relatively-essential-workers.html. Why are essential workers, like firefighters, so poorly paid relative to inessential workers like football players?  I do wonder however if the logic is right, about bankers. Are their skills really in such short supply?  The additional ingredient is, I think, the too big to fail subsidy.