The Knowledge Problem Commentary on Economics, Information and Human Action |
Thursday, August 29, 2002 RELIGIOUS MONOPOLY HUMOR: I cannot believe I missed this in January, but according to The Onion, Judge Orders God to Break Up Into Smaller Deities. Apparently God has a monopoly, and the Justice Department brought a lawsuit to remedy this blatantly anti-competitive market. Hah-larious. Thanks to my Northwestern colleague Mark Witte for sending it to me. posted by lkkinetic | 8/29/2002 06:46:00 PMYEP, RIGHT ON SCHEDULE: According to Bloomberg News, OPEC may boost its quota by as much as 750,000 barrels per day. Even with all of the Iraq talk, Nymex crude closed at only 58 cents higher than Wednesday, at $28.92. Remind me again why people think that markets are unpredictable ... ? Even when folks like OPEC try to mess with them, we adjust our expectations. posted by lkkinetic | 8/29/2002 06:08:00 PMTech Central Station also ran an article on carpooling by Bob Poole, my colleague and the founder of Reason Foundation. Bob describes the flaws in carpooling, HOV lanes, and how we could improve our commute times by making them toll lanes instead. A very interesting read. posted by lkkinetic | 8/29/2002 06:04:00 PMSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWABLE ENERGY: My Reason colleague Ron Bailey has an article from Johannesburg on the topic of renewable energy and its treatment at the UN summit. Ron points out that some of the mental energy of the participants is going toward quibbling over their different definitions of "renewable" (i.e., depends on what your definition of the word "renewable" is). In an article on Tech Central Station, James Shikwati asks a related question: "the reduction in fossil fuels in order to utilize more "renewable energy" also will make the underdeveloped stagnate. Why is the developed world keen on preventing the underdeveloped from making use of natural resources that they themselves used to develop?" Shikwati is from Kenya, and asks what I think is an even more poignant question:
Feelin' whimsical today, so I've added a Weather Pixie at the bottom of the page. I'm one of those folks who is fascinated by the weather, and I can watch the Weather Channel ad nauseam (much to the frustration of my husband, although he likes the cool jazz during local on the 8s). More substance later, after I get some writing out of the way. posted by lkkinetic | 8/29/2002 09:42:00 AMTuesday, August 27, 2002 HOW COOL IS THIS? Technology news from Hawaii -- "A Big Island company will be the exclusive seller of a new bladeless-turbine technology the manufacturer says will drastically reduce costs for electrical power generation and hydrogen fuel production for use in fuel cells and automobiles," according to the Pacific Business News. If you read the article, you'll see something that occurs over and over and over in the history of technological change -- the inventor stumbled on this innovation by accident, in the course of doing some other research. That's precisely why efforts that dirigiste control-freak folks think are duplicative and wasteful are very much NOT wasteful. It's the knowledge problem -- how do you know? How do you know what might arise from that effort?
OIL AND GAS PRICE STABILITY: Even with the threat of military action in the Persian Gulf and the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend, both crude oil and gasoline prices are pretty darn stable (although oil prices, especially, are high; more on that in a second). On gasoline, this Reuters article summarizes the results of the regular Lundberg survey of gasoline stations. In the most recent survey, gasoline prices were very stable, at levels sustained over 20 weeks! How often does that happen in the summer? Not very! This price stability is at least in part a result of the production substitution of gasoline for other distillate products such as diesel and jet fuel, which are less in demand because of economic slowness and the fact that many of us won't set foot on a plane unless we absolutely have to. So enough supply has been out there to meet demand without price having to adjust abruptly. Isn't economics beautiful?
FOREST FIRES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Amity Shlaes has a good Financial Times column on forest policy and trying to control, plan, and manage "sustainable development." Here's a teaser to entice you to read the whole thing:
Friday, August 23, 2002 GOOD NEWS ON THE ELECTRICITY COMPETITION FRONT: There's a lot of cheery news today about retail electric competition in the U.S. and how the black eye that California and Enron have given electricity restructuring have not been fatal. This Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article reports on a study showing that Pennsylvania's retail electricity rates in 2001 were 20 percent lower than in 1996, on average. Nationally, retail rates were 14 percent lower for residential consumers, 13 percent lower for commercial consumers, and 5 percent lower for industrial consumers. The article correctly points out that states with retail competition have seen green power providers come in and serve the market demand for renewable energy. What the article fails to point out, though, is that it's unclear how much of those rates decreases has come from real competition and how much has come from mandated rate freezes. Pennsylvania, for example, has frozen its rates over a 10-year phase-out period. Ten years? The interaction of this continuing relic of regulation with other regulatory hangovers, like standard offer prices or "price to beat", and provider of last resort at discounted rates, stifle potential entry and lengthen the timeframe over which consumers and innovative suppliers actually reap benefits from retail competition. Here's another story on the report.
Thursday, August 22, 2002 Unless something exciting happens today, I am incommunicado -- we have a monstrous storm system moving through Chicago, and the pressure drop has triggered a nasty migraine. posted by lkkinetic | 8/22/2002 08:45:00 AMMY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY: Glenn Reynolds' Fox News column on airport "security" hits the nail on the head, elegantly and incisively. Particularly since March, when I had a horrendous encounter with a megalomaniacal, misogynistic law official, I have stayed out of airports as much as possible without hampering my career.
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 FUEL OUTLOOK FOR THE WINTER: This DOE Energy Information Administration presentation does a really nice job of explaining the complex interactions among different distilled products, foreign and domestic sources, etc. It's well worth a scroll through. Note that the EIA folks are less sanguine about distillate inventories than the API folks. That's the beauty of "redundant" investigation -- we use different assumptions, come up with different results, and learn a lot in the process. posted by lkkinetic | 8/21/2002 02:57:00 PMLESS JET FUEL, MORE HEATING OIL: The July American Petroleum Institute report indicates that the inventory of distillate for heating oil and diesel fuel increased 7.2 percent relative to July 2001. This is a good thing, because it gives refiners a jump on the seasonal demand for home heating oil, which (all other things equal) should lead to more stable heating oil prices this winter. Part of the reason for these increased stocks is the continued sluggish demand for air travel (from which the demand for jet fuel is a derived demand).
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 OIL CLOSES ABOVE $30: This Financial Times article recounts today's close at $30.11, attributing it to war fears. I think it's more complicated than that, but it's not worth quibbling. The next OPEC meeting will be quite interesting ... posted by lkkinetic | 8/20/2002 03:03:00 PMFREE TRADE: This OpinionJournal editorial lays it out. I especially like:
BLOOD SUGAR AND MOOD: Norah Vincent asks about protein intake and mood. My experience as a recovering carbohydrate fanatic is that increased protein intake has improve my body's ability to burn fat for fuel, has increased my alertness and productivity, and has had an effect on my mood (although mood has never been a real issue for me). For me it's sufficient to eat eggs, cheese and fruit for breakfast, and eschew refined starches and sugars, juice, and other carbohydrate foods with little fiber. I find Atkins to be a little over the top, YMMV. But gee whiz, do I miss good french bread, risotto, polenta ... I've been on the "protein for breakfast and high-fiber the rest of the day" approach for two years, and as long as the exercise level stays up there, my attention and sleep are good. BTW, I've heard that the vivid dreams are a function of vitamin B12, of which you get more in spinach and meats. posted by lkkinetic | 8/20/2002 10:39:00 AMMORE ON SPAM: Common sense and good advice from the reliably sensible Dan Gillmor. posted by lkkinetic | 8/20/2002 10:28:00 AMBack from a week of Adam Smith, but still exhausted! Today and tomorrow we should be getting petroleum inventory information from API and the DOE, so I may have something to say on that subject. And more on Smith, of course. posted by lkkinetic | 8/20/2002 10:15:00 AMTHE COASE THEOREM: It's a mind-boggling insight that has transformed the way that (at least some of us) do economics. Megan McArdle has an outstanding description of the Coase Theorem and how it relates to spam. She points out something that usually gets lost in how people discuss and, gasp!, teach the Coase Theorem -- in order to get the efficient outcome regardless of the allocation of property rights, transaction costs have to be zero. Now, we all know that the only place that happens is on a blackboard, so the interesting analyses come in when you think about changing transaction costs and how that affects our choices and the outcomes derived from them. This is where I spend a lot of my life, in this avenue of research, so I am grateful to her for raising it.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002 Okay, NOW I'm going back to the Theory of Moral Sentiments! posted by lkkinetic | 8/13/2002 01:34:00 PMIT NEVER RAINS, BUT IT POURS: In the shameless self-promotion department today, I am quoted in the Orange County Register's editorial today. I think that the FERC standard market design is baby steps, and at well over 300 pages does smack of micromanagement. The important question is, do those baby steps get us toward freer, more competitive markets? Are there better feasible ways of getting more of the benefits of more competitive markets?
BOY, YOU DRIVE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF LAKE MICHIGAN INSTEAD OF READING NEWS, AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS? This Washington Post editorial from Monday is very good. It discusses FERC's standard market design proposal, which is open for public comment through mid-October, and the snipey comments that state regulators have been making about it as an unbridled power grab. I think the editorial lays out the argument pretty well, although the standard market design proposal is not an hommage to the "simple rules for a complex world" context that would bring the most long-run benefit from competitive electricity markets. It's baby steps, but it's not the fiasco that the California state regulators (and other state regulators) have made it out to be. posted by lkkinetic | 8/13/2002 01:16:00 PMHere's an interesting New York Times article (registration required) from Sunday on BP's Marlin deep-water oil drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico, and the economics of its being worth pumping. Very worth a read if you are interested in the economics of world oil markets. posted by lkkinetic | 8/13/2002 01:10:00 PMELECTRICITY MARKETS AND DEMAND RESPONSE: I have a column on Tech Central Station today, on the importance of consumer choice and demand responsiveness in electricity pricing. I will have more to say on this over the next few weeks, but for now, it's back to Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments. posted by lkkinetic | 8/13/2002 01:05:00 PMMonday, August 12, 2002 OFF FOR A WEEK OF BRAIN CANDY: I am leaving today for a week-long conference on the works of Adam Smith. There's so much more to him than the "invisible hand" that most people associate with him, and this week will give me a chance to dig into all of that. I'll post as possible. posted by lkkinetic | 8/12/2002 10:32:00 AMPHOENIX FROM THE ASHES, UNFORTUNATELY: The California Power Exchange will not die. After a year and a half of bankruptcy and the disappearance of anything resembling a market for electric power in California, the PX is still around. This article summarizes the soap operatic nature of its ongoing existence.
FLUX IN THE ELECTRICITY WORLD: A period of extreme stress in energy markets because of trading liquidity and debt problems at energy companies. There is value there, but it's hard to see right now with so much uncertainty. posted by lkkinetic | 8/12/2002 10:18:00 AMWHERE DID LAST WEEK GO? Between writing a book chapter on retail pricing, demand responsiveness and dynamic pricing in electricity, and having a contract accepted on a house, I lost last week. Wow. More to come over the next few weeks on dynamic pricing and the importance of demand response in getting efficient, integrated wholesale and retail electricity markets. And, assuming all goes well with our house purchase, more on the 1921 arts and crafts Chicago bungalow! posted by lkkinetic | 8/12/2002 10:16:00 AMFriday, August 02, 2002 ADAM SMITH ON EDUCATION: Yesterday Joanne Jacobs posted a quote from Adam Smith on education and teacher retention. Just to add to what Joanne said: Smith experienced what he considered to be the worst of incentives when he attended Oxford University, where the faculty droned on and on and on, and didn't seem to care whether the students were getting anything out of their lectures. Smith advocated a teacher remuneration system whereby the students paid teachers directly; in fact, this system was in place when he was chair of logic and then of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow. Talk about the incentives to exchange value for value. posted by lkkinetic | 8/02/2002 02:49:00 PMWALTER WILLIAMS ON MARKETS: This Townhall.com column by Walter Williams illustrates a very important point about markets: they are not things, they are not places, they are not individual people. Markets are the interaction of our choices and decisions, based on our private, local knowledge.
CARP AND INTERNET RADIO: When I am writing, I like to listen to ambient techno music. My favorite source for this music has been, for the past two years or so, SomaFM from San Francisco, on their channel called "Groove Salad." Like most people, I suspect, I have been meaning to send them a donation for a while, but some things slip when life is hectic, even though I knew that Soma and other internet radio stations were under threat of closure depending on what the Librarian of Congress decided about royalties to pay to artists, as was required under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Then in mid-July, after the Librarian had decided on the royalties they should pay, I went to SomaFM and saw this headline:
Thursday, August 01, 2002 MORE EVIDENCE THAT WARREN BUFFETT SEES VALUE IN ELECTRICITY: Berkshire Hathaway has provided financing for Williams. His credibility, integrity, and vision are things that the electricity industry needs right now, as well as his capital. He also knows a bargain when he sees it. Here is a more thorough article on the deal from TheStreet.com. posted by lkkinetic | 8/01/2002 11:24:00 AMHOW AUCTIONS WORK, AND WHY DESIGN MATTERS: Hal Varian, writing today in the New York Times' Economic Scene, describes auctions, how they work, and how design can influence whether or not participants can collude. This article summarizes a recent journal article by Paul Klemperer, an economist at Nuffield College, Oxford, and one of the most pre-eminent auction theorists.
FERC'S STANDARD MARKET DESIGN PROPOSAL: The press release on it is 20 pages, the design proposal runs to 800 pages. The comment period extends to 21 October, so expect to see some comments here as I process and analyze this proposal. posted by lkkinetic | 8/01/2002 10:57:00 AMSONIA ARRISON ON HOLLYWOOD HACKING: Sonia's Tech Central Station article on the proposed bill is very good. She hits the nail on the head with
TRANSACTION COSTS AND FRAUD LEGISLATION: This Dow Jones newswire article indicates that one consequence of more stringent SEC regulatory enforcement to reduce corporate accounting fraud will result in increased litigation and decreased settlement out of court. This is one of the most striking costs of increased regulation -- the litigation and slow-as-molasses process of resolution. Lawyers are probably raisin' the roof and figuring out how they'll spend that extra income. posted by lkkinetic | 8/01/2002 10:23:00 AM |
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