Monthly Archives: November 2009

Experimental Conference

Posted on November 24, 2009 by andrewleigh

For any economists interested in laboratory or field experiments, Nikos Nikiforakis and colleagues are running a conference in February next year. Paper submissions close on 30 November. Details over the fold.

Posted in Coming Events | Comments Off on Experimental Conference

Superannuation co-contribution, jam choice, and taxation

Posted on November 23, 2009 by andrewleigh

The Henry tax review has posted an interesting paper on its website. Behavioural economics and complex decision making: implications for the Australian tax and transfer system by Andrew Reeson and Simon Dunstall, CSIRO This paper summarises the relevant literature (from … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavioural Economics, Tax | Comments Off on Superannuation co-contribution, jam choice, and taxation

You can’t teach an old Beatle new tricks

Posted on November 23, 2009 by andrewleigh

I wrote an op-ed a few months ago about David Galenson’s work on creative life cycles in art, poetry, novel-writing, movie-making and architecture. Now he’s turned his hand to pop music. Abstract below. Innovators: Songwriters (gated link, sorry) David Galenson … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour Economics | Comments Off on You can’t teach an old Beatle new tricks

Remarkable Rejoinders

Posted on November 21, 2009 by andrewleigh

Malcolm Gladwell beautifully demonstrates how one can respond to criticism.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Satisfying Chat

Posted on November 18, 2009 by andrewleigh

My Wryside Economics segment on Life Matters this morning was about the effects of gender and money on happiness, essentially riffing off two important papers that Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers presented at my happiness conference last week (the research … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Better Jails

Posted on November 17, 2009 by andrewleigh

My AFR oped today is on prison reform. You can’t put acknowledgements in an opinion piece, but the piece owes a substantial debt to Justin Wolfers, who first suggested the idea of smarter prison contracts about 7 years ago, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Law | 3 Comments

Stamp Duty and the Housing Market

Posted on November 15, 2009 by andrewleigh

I have a new paper out, looking at the impact of stamp duty on the housing market. Methodologically, the question turns out to be slightly tricky – because stamp duty is a mechanical function of house prices, a regression of … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax, Urban Economics | 6 Comments

Social Mobility Conference

Posted on November 12, 2009 by andrewleigh

I still have a few spare spaces for my intergenerational mobility conference at ANU on Monday 30 November. The conference will now be opened by Terry Moran, the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. So if it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Coming Events, Inequality | 4 Comments

Do Happy People Attend Happiness Conferences?

Posted on November 12, 2009 by andrewleigh

My happiness workshop yesterday certainly raised my life satisfaction – and hopefully that of the attendees as well. If you missed it, the papers of Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers are available on their websites. Paul Frijters’ paper should soon … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics Generally | 2 Comments

RA work?

Posted on November 9, 2009 by andrewleigh

I’m presently advertising for a full-time research assistant, on a 12 month (renewable) contract. The skill-set I’m seeking is a convex combination of energy, economics nous, Stata knowledge, and high-level English proficiency (can you find more than 3 errors in … Continue reading →

Posted in Jobs | 4 Comments

Wryside on Nudging

Posted on November 4, 2009 by andrewleigh

My Wryside Economics chat on Life Matters tomorrow will be on Nudging. I’ll be on Radio National about 9.15am. If you miss it, the link will be up later that day. Until then, check out the Nudge blog. Update: Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Coming Events | Comments Off on Wryside on Nudging

Happiness Workshop

Posted on November 4, 2009 by andrewleigh

On very short notice, I’m running a half-day workshop at ANU on ‘The Economics of Happiness’ next Wednesday, 11 November. The program features three stars of the international happiness literature – Paul Frijters, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers. The flyer … Continue reading →

Posted in Coming Events | 1 Comment

Nudged

Posted on November 3, 2009 by andrewleigh

My AFR oped today is on behavioural economics and ‘nudging’. Full text below.

Posted in Behavioural Economics | 1 Comment

The economics of refugee flows

Posted on November 2, 2009 by andrewleigh

With some notable exceptions, the Australian public debate over refugees has so far been conducted largely in an evidence-free zone. So I’ve asked my colleague Tim Hatton to send me through his recent writings on the topic. Tim has written … Continue reading →

Posted in Australian Politics, Trade & Development | Comments Off on The economics of refugee flows

All Hallows E’en

Posted on November 1, 2009 by andrewleigh

Today is All Saints day, the day for to celebrate saints who don’t have their own special day. So last night was the celebration to scare away the evil spirits in anticipation of their arrival. Which brings me to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on All Hallows E’en