- Adam Ozimek of @ModeledBehavior recently took on the interesting topic of “Can Economics Change Your Mind.” He provides some interesting examples, particularly from empirical literature. Tyler Cowen adds a list of his own. This matter is framed well by a recent EconTalk podcast, where Russ Roberts interviews Noah Smith on “Whether Economics is a Science.” Also, see the related links from the EconTalk podcast for a deep dive into the topic.
- Via @DataStories, an incredible visualization of scientific collaborations embedded below. Click through the link for details and methodology.
- Via my ALEC colleague Amy Kjose Anderson, the American Tort Reform Association‘s list of the nation’s worst “Judicial Hellholes.” The costs and consequences of poor civil justice policy is one of the most underappreciated problems plaguing the American economy. The U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform has a great annual ranking of state civil justice climates.
- 8 researchers share their insight on why nutrition research is so messy in Vox. Some time back, Russ Roberts had an interest EconTalk episode on the topic with Gary Taubes.
- I recently shared research from Carmen Reinhart on sovereign debt default risk. It included the interesting chart, embedded below, on default waves. As an interesting marker of where things stand, the World Economic Form recently shared the second chart embedded below from Bank of America research on global sovereign debt default risk based on credit default spreads.
William Freeland: Economist & Policy Analyst 