Posts Noted 2011 March 8

A few posts I found interesting

• Seth Godin has another approach to the commons in A flip side: the asymmetrical gift

The internet makes it easy to give gifts to large numbers of people at very very low cost.

• Juan Cole has Kusha: Iran vs. Egypt: Qualitative Differences in Capabilities: Revolutionary governments are more resilient.
• Naked Capitalism has Guest Post: Head of World’s Largest Asset Manager Says “Markets Like Totalitarian Governments”

Investors can determine whether a nation prospers or starves.

Investors can determine the course of nations, including who gets elected and who gets the boot.

No wonder there are so many totalitarian governments in the Middle East, North Africa and around the world.

No wonder totalitarianism has been creeping into America’s politics and economics.

• Mark Thoma comments on Paul Krugman: Degrees and Dollars. My comment is that this causes problems for Department I as not all Department II can relocate there.
• Seth Godin explores The limits of evidence-based marketing: not all people are convinced by evidence - sometimes an opinion-maker needs to change before others do.
• Mark Thoma agrees with Gramsci that Politics Matters

There are alternatives to helping the well off and hoping it trickles down -- there are trickle up alternatives that help middle and lower class households directly -- but we haven't put enough effort into developing these policies. That needs to change.