Tech Company Economists, Europe Shrinking, and the Green New Deal

Weekend Reads: February 15, 2019

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Uber Is under Siege All over the World

John Fund | National Review | Retweeted by Jennifer Huddleston-Skees

In countries across the globe, governments are unable or unwilling to adapt laws and regulations for the future of transportation.

Incredible Shrinking Europe

Walter Russell Mead | Wall Street Journal | Tweeted by David Beckworth

With Britain on the brink of secession and other countries mutinous, the European Union is weaker than ever before.

True or False: Economists Should Advise Despotic States

Phillip W. Magness | American Institute for Economic Research | Retweeted by Alex Tabarrok

Throughout modern history, economists have advised rulers of authoritarian countries such as Mao, Pinochet, and Mussolini, but depending on their school of thought, they were treated very differently by academics and historians.

When Will We Have Flying Cars? Maybe Sooner Than You Think.

Gideon Lichfield | MIT Technology Review | Retweeted by Brent Skorup

Providing a pathway for flying cars from testing to commercial service is still difficult, but it’s closer now than ever before.

The ‘Green New Deal’ Will Become a Corporate-Crony Feeding Frenzy

Timothy P. Carney | Washington Examiner | Shared by Donald Boudreaux

The bill explicitly states that the government will “invest in…industry of the United States,” giving way to outright cronyism for technology, infrastructure, and transportation companies.

Voter Support for ‘Medicare for All’ Tumbles in New Year

Yursa Murad | Morning Consult | Tweeted by Veronique de Rugy

When faced with the choice of being able to keep their private insurance or accepting “Medicare for All,” Americans are less likely to support the plan.

Why Tech Companies Hire So Many Economists

Susan Athey and Michael Luca | Harvard Business Review | Shared by Tyler Cowen

Companies like Amazon, Uber, and eBay have been building robust teams of economists to gain insight into the underlying causes of inefficiency and other problems they face.

Trump’s Take on Trade Sounds a Lot Like Ocasio-Cortez’s Brand of Socialism

Shawn Donnan | Bloomberg | Tweeted by Christine McDaniel

President Trump’s plans to impose tariffs and quotas on imports into the United States seem more like central planning than a free-market approach.

Why Fears of Fake News Are Overhyped

Brendan Nyhan | Medium | Tweeted by Adam Thierer

New data shows that after the 2016 election, the scapegoat of “fake news” is increasingly diminishing.

The Green New Deal’s Huge Flaw

Alex Baca | Slate | Retweeted by Salim Furth

Promoting electric vehicles or retrofitting buildings with environmentally-friendly technology won’t solve America’s environmental problems, but addressing urban sprawl can.