We sometimes forget how big a role the weather plays in the economy. Robert Gordon has argued that air conditioning has had a greater economic effect than the Internet; air conditioning made such major cities as Atlanta and Houston habitable during the summer, while the Internet just took away the margin of retail bookstores. GDP… [Read More]
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Housing sputters, or does it?
Homeownership is a big part of U.S. culture, and yet, the rate of homeownership is falling. For the first quarter of 2014, the U.S. Census department reported that 64.8% of homes in the U.S. are occupied by their owners, the lowest rate since 1995. If traditional patterns still hold, then this is a sign of… [Read More]
Burkina Faso: Dreams of Dust
Burkina Faso, formerly known a Upper Volta, is poor and land-locked. It has gold, though, and if you live in a poorer country, that creates attractive employment opportunities. Dreams of Dust is a French-Canadian movie about someone from Niger who comes to Burkina Faso in search of work. Mocktar, our hero, arrives about 20 years… [Read More]
Spring has sprung.
Spring has come to Chicago, and it is so hard getting any work done.
Ghana: Ghana Must Go
Ghana is a democracy, mostly stable, with a GDP of $3500 per capita. You could do a lot worse than living in Ghana, and too many people are. I found this book on Amazon and was intrigued by the title. I’ve seen references to “Ghana Must Go” bags elsewhere. These are woven plastic plaid bags:… [Read More]
