This post has been released as the first in a four part series: Rent Control Part One: Microeconomics Lesson and Hoarding Rent Control Part Two: Black Market, Deterioration, and Discrimination Rent Control Part Three: Mobility, Regional Growth, Development, and Class Conflict Rent Control Part … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2008
$12.8b Bid for PA Turnpike
From Toll Road News: With a bid of $12.8 billion an Abertis/Citi team has been selected as the concessionaire in a 75 year lease of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The bids were received in a second round of best-&-final offer bids last Friday (May 16). #2 bidder was Transurban/Goldman Sachs at … [Read more...]
Vending Machine Economics in Japan
Tyler Cowen of Marginal Revolution is in Japan, and is fascinated by the number of vending machines. He takes a minute to ponder on the economics of vending machines in Tokyo.First we must look to the shortage of storage space in homes. I suspect few Japanese want to buy big piles of stuff … [Read more...]
Does Urban Farming Make Sense?
Matthew Yglesias just posted a thought referring to a recent NY Magazine article about skyfarming:Should we build agricultural skyscrapers in-or-near our major cities? It's certainly a cool idea. I think I'm going to put the notion that this is actually environmentally sound and feasible in my … [Read more...]
Krugman: Stranded in Suburbia
Paul Krugman wrote an op-ed this morning how the US living and transportation patterns will not cope with high oil prices as well as European cities: Changing the geography of American metropolitan areas will be hard. For one thing, houses last a lot longer than cars. Long after today’s S.U.V.’s … [Read more...]
The Great Depression and America’s Addiction to Government Roads and Oil
One of my favorite new blogs, Rationalitate brought up a topic that I have spent much time thinking about, The Great Depression and Public Roads: In a time before the widespread adoption of income and sales taxes, property taxes made up the lion's share of local government revenues: two-thirds of … [Read more...]
NY Gov. Patterson’s Rent-Stabilized Apartment in Harlem
NY Sun: Paterson Pays A Stabilized Rate of Rent The governor of New York pays about $1,250 a month for a two-bedroom, rent-stabilized apartment in central Harlem, even while owning a home upstate in Guilderland and having unfettered access to the 40-room Governor's Mansion in Albany.Governor … [Read more...]
University of Chicago Creates Milton Friedman Institute
Crain's Chicago Business: U of C honors Friedman with $200M centerEventually, the Friedman Institute will be housed in buildings now occupied by the Chicago Theological Seminary on 58th Street between Woodlawn and University avenues. The U of C is buying the buildings and has agreed to build a … [Read more...]