Becker and Posner offer a stimulating discussion on gasoline taxes and comment the article by Harrington, Parry, and Walls, “Automobile Externalities and Policies” published in the Journal of Economic Literature, 2007, pp 374-400 (abstract, an earlier version as a RFF Discussion Paper can be downloaded here).
Gary Galles on the Ludvig von Mises Institute site takes an Austrian, critical view at Thaler’s and Sunstein’s argument, presented in their book Nudge, that governments can increase economic welfare by paying greater attention to choice architecture. Choice architecture can help alter people’s behavior in a predictable, desirable way without restricting the options available or significantly changing economic incentives. Galles writes:
“While those interested in liberty should read those and other careful considerations of the theory behind Nudge, there is another fatal but overlooked flaw in the book’s argument. They begin by assuming that people’s current choices reflect the results when they are left alone to make them (i.e., reflecting self-ownership and voluntary market choices). That is why any shortcomings must be the fault of irrational individuals, who need paternalistic nudges to improve things. However, our current savings, organ-donation, and health choices are not those of free individuals; they are the choices made in large part because current government policies — taxes, regulations, mandates, etc. — impair incentives. They are government failures presented as market failures.”
at Authors@Google at Authors@Google
4th Ruhr Graduate Summer School in Economics “Energy and Climate Policy Modeling with GAMS/MPSGE” September, 8th-12th, 2008, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. The registration deadline is August 15, 2008.
The workshop provides an introduction into partial and general equilibrium models for the state-of-the-art impact assessment of energy and climate policies. Drawing on basic microeconomic theory, the course will follow model-based peer-reviewed publications in international journals to cover contemporary issues in energy and climate policy such as the promotion of renewable energies, the phase-out of nuclear power, the implementation of environmental tax reforms or the design of international emissions trading schemes.
The primary target audience is professional economists and PhD students who want to do energy and climate policy analysis with real data based on microeconomic theory. However, the concepts, tools and data sets can be used for the analysis of a wide range of economic issues such as for example in public finance of the evaluation of trade liberalization policies.
More information at http://www.iwb.wiwi.uni-due.de/fileadmin/fileupload/VWL-INT/RGSS2008-announcement.pdf
Summer school “Why isn’t ethics a behavioural science?” in Trento, Italy from 25. September 2008 to 28. September 2008
Deadline for application 20. August 2008
Further information at: http://portale.unitn.it/events/ethics08/
Below a description:
“As in every summer, the Laboratory for Social Responsibility, Ethics and Rational Choice of the Department of Economics at the University of Trento, and Econometica (Inter-University Centre for Economic Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility) organize a summer school on game theory, social norms and institutions.
This year’s summer school will continue on this tradition. The idea behind the school is that our understanding of the role of social preferences in shaping social norms and institutions will be enhanced if we manage to integrate three sides of the current research. First, the theory of bounded rationality and learning in games. Second, the more sophisticated approach to people’s preferences pioneered by behavioural economists, which incorporates altruism and spitefulness, a taste for reciprocity, feelings of guilt and shame and other moral emotions.
Finally, the experimental research on the way in which flesh-and-bone individuals make their decisions in strategic situations.”
What should be the nature and characteristics an economics degree? Which skills and capabilities should a graduate in economics possess? The British Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, QAA, produced in 2007 a benchmark statement for economics (pdf) with the aim of answering these questions. Here is the response to the benchmarking statement by the Association for Heterodox Economics, AHE.
Conference Pluralism in economics: rethinking the teaching of economics
in London, United Kingdom from 18. October 2008 to 18. October 2008
Deadline for paper submission: 1. August 2008
JEL classifications: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, Z
Here is an interesting call for papers: (from http://www.euroecolecon.org/news.htm )
“Call for papers for a special issue of Business Strategy and the Environment Special issue topic:
TRADE-OFFS IN CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
Deadline for submissions: September 15, 2008
There is a growing literature on the so-called business case for sustainability. Scholars seek to determine if and under which conditions it pays off financially for companies to act environmentally and/or socially responsible. We acknowledge that research based on this win-win paradigm represents a promising starting point to gain acceptance in mainstream research and business practice. It is, however, based on a critical assumption, namely that the different aspects of corporate sustainability are mutually reinforcing. This sharply contrasts the complexity and multidimensionality of sustainable development where trade-offs and conflicts between economic, environmental, and social aspects represent the rule rather than the exception.
Such trade-offs have been systematically under-researched in the corporate sustainability literature. Therefore, in this special issue we invite submissions that explicitly address trade-offs in corporate sustainability. Contributions could focus on different levels of analysis and/or address the role of different actors. We further encourage papers that investigate and/or develop management tools and corporate strategies to effectively deal with trade-offs in corporate sustainability. Contributions that also address conflicts between different environmental and social concerns beyond their financial implications are particularly welcome.“ Read more.
Nicola Cantore informs via RESECON that “the Department of Agricultural Economics and Engineering at the University of Bologna (Italy) is organising an international summer school about discrete choice models.”
The summer school Discrete Choice Models: Theory and Applications to Environment, Landscape, Transportation and Marketing will take place in Imola (Bologna, Italy), 7-18 July .
The teaching staff is
Beginners module (July 7-11)
Advanced module (July 14-1
More information here.
PhD Student Poster Session at “What is the behavioral in behavioral economics?” in Trento,Italy
from 05. June 2008 to 06. June 2008.
Deadline for paper submissions: 10. May 2008
JEL classification(s): B, D
Further information at: http://www-ceel.economia.unitn.it/events/be/index.html
