Articles 2026
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Unhappily Better Off
Review of The Progress Paradox, by Gregg Easterbrook
New York Post, January 02, 2004
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Avoiding Previous Blunders
What separates rich nations from poor nations? History provides some answers.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", December 31, 2003
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Light Until the Wealth of Nations
How Christmas displays illuminate a strong economy
Reason, December 18, 2003
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Should You Know Your Banker?
Are open markets threatened more by a pro-business or by an antibusiness ideology?
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", December 03, 2003
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Rethinking Milton Friedman
With Milton Friedman's ideas now accepted by theorists and policy makers, it's easy to forget how revolutionary they were.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", November 05, 2003
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Getting a Bead on "Buzz"
For those who live by buzz, it's important to know who's doing the talking.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", October 08, 2003
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The Design of Your Life
There's been a revolution in the world of design. The tyranny of experts is over, and we the people are finally in charge.
Men's Journal, October 2003
Those old sci-fi movies were wrong. The 21st century doesn't look at all the way they said it would. We citizens of the future aren't wearing conformist jumpsuits, living in utilitarian high-rises, or getting our food in the form of dreary-looking pills. On the contrary, we are demanding and creating a stimulating, diverse, and strikingly well-designed world. We like our vacuum cleaners and mobile phones to sparkle, our backpacks and laptops to express our personalities. We expect trees and careful landscaping in our parking lots, peaked roofs and decorative facades on our supermarkets, and auto dealerships as swoopy and stylish as the cars they sell. -
The Internet Book Race
When it comes to books, Internet selling has not led to uniformly low prices.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", September 11, 2003
LIKE every author I know, I'm obsessed with the Amazon ranking of my new book. Several times a day, I check the number on the book's Amazon.com page to see how its sales compare with sales of every other book. Best-seller lists rank just the top 10 or 20 books. Amazon ranks more than two million -- every book it sells.
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Going to Great Lengths
The New York Times Magazine, August 30, 2003
The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new use of biosynthesized human growth hormone: treating unusually short children who don't have any other known disorder. In clinical studies the drug, which is called Humatrope and made by Eli Lilly & Co., added several inches to kids' eventual height, without producing any significant health risks. Humatrope, in other words, met the regulatory tests for safety and efficacy. But bioethicists greeted the decision with protests. -
The Eye of the Beholder
It's not just about price and performance. Intangibles are increasingly important.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", August 14, 2003
Oscar Wilde defined a cynic as someone who "knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing." To many people, that sounds like an economist or an executive.