Looking for source of an anecdote about social capital and trust. It involves renting a car: and apparently, in some developing countries (or possibly rural China?) where there are low levels of trust of outsiders, people at first found even the idea of renting a car implausible because they can't see why you would let a stranger drive away with your car or why you would return the car to a stranger you will never see again. [more inside]
posted by Maias on Apr 26, 2009 - 5 answers

I'm a recent master's graduate in Applied Economics (Concentration: Community and Economic Development), and I’m looking for a research position with the government or a consulting firm that performs public policy-related research (e.g. The Urban Institute, Brookings, Pew Research Center, etc.). I've had no luck to this point (been looking for about two months), and I'd like some advice. [more inside]
posted by bcredrabbit on Mar 30, 2009 - 10 answers

paper filter: I'm doing a paper on information technology's effect on population growth/migration. Where do I start?! [more inside]
posted by dunderwood on Mar 17, 2009 - 4 answers

What were the social impacts of the lost decade in Japan? Yes, I know economists are all about growth-growth-growth and if you don't have it you're a failure. But what were the actual impacts on levels of personal happiness and satisfaction? [more inside]
posted by alms on Feb 26, 2009 - 18 answers

I read the Wikipedia article on Dubai itself, but am still confused as to exactly how businesses such as a hotel located in the country can afford to do things like put on a larger fireworks show than the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

A friend of mine with Republican/Libertarian leanings told me they do not charge any form of taxes and that is why business has boomed there, but I am a bit dubious about this answer.

I know they use a lot of borderline slave labor to build, but there has to be more than that too.
posted by idyllhands on Nov 24, 2008 - 25 answers

(Possibly Advanced) Economics Filter: How does new value created by industry and economy become money? [more inside]
posted by SlyBevel on Dec 28, 2007 - 32 answers

Has an economist ever calculated the worth of human life? It would be an added bonus if it s/he had worked out the different value in different parts of the world. [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Sep 29, 2006 - 14 answers

Louis Kelso: Crackpot or economic genius? [more inside]
posted by Kattullus on Nov 5, 2005 - 6 answers