Comments for Fixed Point http://www.williamboot.net A weblog on economics and psychology Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:31:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on The Myth of the Rational Voter – part II by Martin http://www.williamboot.net/2007/05/29/the-myth-of-the-rational-voter-part-ii/#comment-24269 Martin Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:31:25 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/05/29/the-myth-of-the-rational-voter-part-ii/#comment-24269 Honestly I found the whole thing maddening. Caplan’s book is too full of illogical and contradictory arguments, mangled terms, cultural prejudice, and a whole lot of other weaknesses. It’s also pretty scary when you really think about what he is arguing for. Like a lot of cloistered academics, he’s hermetically sealed inside his own thinking and theories, and totally unhinged from the real world... past and present. The whole list of objections is on my site. If you care to provide feedback, I'd be especially glad to know your thoughts on Caplan's "probability discount" applied to voting costs... and why he fails to apply it to benefits as well... it’s all on my site. (literalmayhem.com) Honestly I found the whole thing maddening. Caplan’s book is too full of illogical and contradictory arguments, mangled terms, cultural prejudice, and a whole lot of other weaknesses. It’s also pretty scary when you really think about what he is arguing for. Like a lot of cloistered academics, he’s hermetically sealed inside his own thinking and theories, and totally unhinged from the real world… past and present. The whole list of objections is on my site.

If you care to provide feedback, I’d be especially glad to know your thoughts on Caplan’s “probability discount” applied to voting costs… and why he fails to apply it to benefits as well… it’s all on my site. (literalmayhem.com)

]]> Comment on Marx, but not as I know it by Daniel http://www.williamboot.net/2007/04/22/marx-but-not-as-i-know-it/#comment-10772 Daniel Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:51:38 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/04/22/marx-but-not-as-i-know-it/#comment-10772 I've never understood why "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need" is an attractive idea. It sounds terrifying: you will be stripped of anything that is not absolutely necessary to keep you alive, and you will be worked until you collapse from exhaustion. I’ve never understood why “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” is an attractive idea. It sounds terrifying: you will be stripped of anything that is not absolutely necessary to keep you alive, and you will be worked until you collapse from exhaustion.

]]> Comment on Marx, but not as I know it by jb http://www.williamboot.net/2007/04/22/marx-but-not-as-i-know-it/#comment-10208 jb Tue, 24 Apr 2007 08:52:39 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/04/22/marx-but-not-as-i-know-it/#comment-10208 I have often encountered this. People seem to think capitalism and free markets means Coke, McDonalds and Exxon, while mutually beneficial cooperation is socialism. I have often encountered this. People seem to think capitalism and free markets means Coke, McDonalds and Exxon, while mutually beneficial cooperation is socialism.

]]> Comment on Morality and markets by Tim Worstall http://www.williamboot.net/2007/04/13/morality-and-markets/#comment-9182 Tim Worstall Sat, 14 Apr 2007 07:14:30 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/04/13/morality-and-markets/#comment-9182 At which point you have to decide who is going to be the determinator of what is acceptable or not. If it isn't the market, then who do you appoint as censor? At which point you have to decide who is going to be the determinator of what is acceptable or not.
If it isn’t the market, then who do you appoint as censor?

]]> Comment on Guido Fawkes is wrong by Courtney Hamilton http://www.williamboot.net/2007/03/29/guido-fawkes-is-wrong/#comment-6909 Courtney Hamilton Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:49:52 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/03/29/guido-fawkes-is-wrong/#comment-6909 Isn't that supposed to be 'Michael' White, the political editor of the Guardian? wb - yes it is. Thanks. Isn’t that supposed to be ‘Michael’ White, the political editor of the Guardian?

wb – yes it is. Thanks.

]]> Comment on Part III of The Trap by The Trap III: We Will Force You To Be Free « Not Saussure http://www.williamboot.net/2007/03/26/part-iii-of-the-trap/#comment-6316 The Trap III: We Will Force You To Be Free « Not Saussure Mon, 26 Mar 2007 22:10:57 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/03/26/part-iii-of-the-trap/#comment-6316 [...] It also explored the ways in which, as Curtis put it, Western anti-Communism had created a ’strange mutant idea that used the techniques of violent revolution to create a world of negative freedom’, and how economic freedom had been used as a form of ’shock therapy’ in both Russia and Iraq, with catastrophic results that were not predicted by those who recommended and implemented it. I’d previously expressed my reservations about this aspect of the programme, and all I can really say is that they were confirmed by watching it and that there’s a very good piece about it at Fixed Point. I would, though, add that Curtis gave a very misleading impression of how privatisation was handled in Russia, in that he completely ignored the way that much of the economy was already effectively in the hands of the private sector before; it was just that then it was called ‘the black market’ and ‘the Russian mafia’ (many of whom were also members of the nomenklatura. Privatisation, to a great extent, was merely a legitimisation of what had already happened, accompanied by a great deal of corruption from which some Western consultants and financial institutions had the good fortune to profit, inadvertently, I’m sure. [...] [...] It also explored the ways in which, as Curtis put it, Western anti-Communism had created a ’strange mutant idea that used the techniques of violent revolution to create a world of negative freedom’, and how economic freedom had been used as a form of ’shock therapy’ in both Russia and Iraq, with catastrophic results that were not predicted by those who recommended and implemented it. I’d previously expressed my reservations about this aspect of the programme, and all I can really say is that they were confirmed by watching it and that there’s a very good piece about it at Fixed Point. I would, though, add that Curtis gave a very misleading impression of how privatisation was handled in Russia, in that he completely ignored the way that much of the economy was already effectively in the hands of the private sector before; it was just that then it was called ‘the black market’ and ‘the Russian mafia’ (many of whom were also members of the nomenklatura. Privatisation, to a great extent, was merely a legitimisation of what had already happened, accompanied by a great deal of corruption from which some Western consultants and financial institutions had the good fortune to profit, inadvertently, I’m sure. [...]

]]> Comment on A load of Pony by Adam Curtis: The Trap, part 2 « Not Saussure http://www.williamboot.net/2007/03/19/a-load-of-pony/#comment-4779 Adam Curtis: The Trap, part 2 « Not Saussure Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:17:25 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/03/19/a-load-of-pony/#comment-4779 [...] Turning to the economics and politics of the programme, I find much of what I want to say has already been said by William Boot, of whose Fixed Point I was hitherto unaware, but it’s well worth a read. I particularly liked his point that Curtis’ discussion of the way targets in the public services have been so spectacular a failure in many cases, and of how they’ve led to corruption in private business, suggests, if anything, that people actually do behave as ’selfish rational maximisers.’ Give people targets to achieve, and make these important enough — people were saying on the programme their annual increment, or even their job from one month to the next, depended on meeting them — and obviously they’ll find creative ways of meeting the targets, even at the expense of what the enterprise is supposed to be about. If your job depends on not having patients waiting on trolleys in hallways, and there’s no obvious way of getting them into beds on wards because you haven’t got enough, then it’s entirely sensible you’ll take the castors off the trolleys, call them beds, declare the corridors are, in fact, wards and thus solve the problem. Similarly, provide directors with sufficient incentives in the form of stock options and obviously at some point the temptation artificially to ramp up the share price will become irresistible. [...] [...] Turning to the economics and politics of the programme, I find much of what I want to say has already been said by William Boot, of whose Fixed Point I was hitherto unaware, but it’s well worth a read. I particularly liked his point that Curtis’ discussion of the way targets in the public services have been so spectacular a failure in many cases, and of how they’ve led to corruption in private business, suggests, if anything, that people actually do behave as ’selfish rational maximisers.’ Give people targets to achieve, and make these important enough — people were saying on the programme their annual increment, or even their job from one month to the next, depended on meeting them — and obviously they’ll find creative ways of meeting the targets, even at the expense of what the enterprise is supposed to be about. If your job depends on not having patients waiting on trolleys in hallways, and there’s no obvious way of getting them into beds on wards because you haven’t got enough, then it’s entirely sensible you’ll take the castors off the trolleys, call them beds, declare the corridors are, in fact, wards and thus solve the problem. Similarly, provide directors with sufficient incentives in the form of stock options and obviously at some point the temptation artificially to ramp up the share price will become irresistible. [...]

]]> Comment on Will selling legal ivory reduce poaching? by Tim Worstall http://www.williamboot.net/2007/02/28/will-selling-legal-ivory-reduce-poaching/#comment-3645 Tim Worstall Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:41:34 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/02/28/will-selling-legal-ivory-reduce-poaching/#comment-3645 Sure, agreed. For example, in Campfire, people get to eat the elephant as well. My poinst was rather that banning the market doesn't ban the trade. More thoughful solutions, as you mention, are needed. Sure, agreed.
For example, in Campfire, people get to eat the elephant as well.
My poinst was rather that banning the market doesn’t ban the trade. More thoughful solutions, as you mention, are needed.

]]> Comment on The Veil by boston legal theme http://www.williamboot.net/2006/10/08/the-veil/#comment-3162 boston legal theme Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:23:47 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2006/10/08/the-veil/#comment-3162 <strong>boston legal theme...</strong> Relevant links for boston legal theme.... boston legal theme…

Relevant links for boston legal theme….

]]> Comment on If you love the free-market, why do you loath nature? by Don Boudreaux http://www.williamboot.net/2007/02/14/if-you-love-the-free-market-why-do-you-loath-nature/#comment-3077 Don Boudreaux Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:41:13 +0000 http://www.williamboot.net/2007/02/14/if-you-love-the-free-market-why-do-you-loath-nature/#comment-3077 Good points all, William -- save for your conclusion that I have a fondness for City Hall. (I emphatically do not!) I am dutiful son of the Scottish Enlightenment; therefore, I do see society -- society at its best -- as organic. By "nature" in my original post, I meant not all that is natural but, rather, the uncivilized wilderness (mud, bacteria-infested water, absence of plumbing and of restaurants and of wine and of wi-fi and of all the fruits of a commercial-driven division of labor. Good points all, William — save for your conclusion that I have a fondness for City Hall. (I emphatically do not!)

I am dutiful son of the Scottish Enlightenment; therefore, I do see society — society at its best — as organic. By “nature” in my original post, I meant not all that is natural but, rather, the uncivilized wilderness (mud, bacteria-infested water, absence of plumbing and of restaurants and of wine and of wi-fi and of all the fruits of a commercial-driven division of labor.

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