Bryan Caplan's Blog, page 46

Capla-Con 2019

Every summer, I run a two-day festival of nerdity at my home.  This year, we have a special guest – Zach Weinersmith of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal – and my collaborator on Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration.  He’s be doing an Ask Me Anything around dinnertime on Saturday.  Other featured guests include former EconLog blogger James Schneider, and master sociologist/party-game designer Fabio Rojas.  (Ask him about Speecharchy!)  And Robin Hanson never fails to appear.

Da...

The Persistence of Poverty: The Right, the Wrong, and the Overstated (Part 6)

Now that I’ve sketched The Persistence of Poverty, how does it stand up?

The Right

1. Karelis blames persistent poverty on persistent poverty-inducing behavior: not working, not finishing school, not saving, abusing alcohol, committing non-lucrative crime.  While his evidence is a bit thin, almost everything else I’ve read on poverty confirms that such behavior (plus impulsive sex) is indeed one of poverty’s chief causes.

2. Karelis says that, contrary to standard economic theory, marginal u...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis’ Practice (Part 5)

Now that he’s explained the nature of persistent poverty, Karelis is ready to end it forever.  His solution is simplicity itself: Give the poor everything they need. Once their needs are met, they’ll start acting like regular middle-class folks in order to satisfy their wants.  Or in his terminology, once you give the poor enough to pay for all their relievers, they will prudently strive to acquire their pleasers.  Thus, even though many of Karelis’ statements will likely appall left-wing re...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis’ Practice

Now that he’s explained the nature of persistent poverty, Karelis is ready to end it forever.  His solution is simplicity itself: Give the poor everything they need. Once their needs are met, they’ll start acting like regular middle-class folks in order to satisfy their wants.  Or in his terminology, once you give the poor enough to pay for all their relievers, they will prudently strive to acquire their pleasers.  Thus, even though many of Karelis’ statements will likely appall left-wing re...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis’ Theory (Part 4)

Karelis says that persistent poverty-including behavior is the main cause of persistent poverty, that none of the other major theories can explain what’s going on, and that he can.  How?

He starts by attacking what initially seems like one of the most banal assumptions in all of economics: diminishing marginal utility.  If you could either have $500 for sure, or $1000 with 50% probability, you’d want the sure thing, right?  Economics aside, isn’t this just common sense?  Not according to Kar...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis’ Theory

Karelis says that persistent poverty-including behavior is the main cause of persistent poverty, that none of the other major theories can explain what’s going on, and that he can.  How?

He starts by attacking what initially seems like one of the most banal assumptions in all of economics: diminishing marginal utility.  If you could either have $500 for sure, or $1000 with 50% probability, you’d want the sure thing, right?  Economics aside, isn’t this just common sense?  Not according to Kar...

Reverse Birth Control: A Thought Experiment

Some prominent sociologists argue that teen pregnancy, when it occurs, is functional.  Teen pregnancy is a foolish life choice for middle-class teens, because they’re sacrificing bright futures.  Lower-class teens, in contrast, don’t have bright futures to sacrifice, so why wait to become a parent?  I’m skeptical of the underlying counter-factuals, but never mind that.  Frank Furstenberg’s “Teenage Childbearing and Cultural Rationality” (Family Relations, 1992) rebuts the functionalists with...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis vs. Six Standard Stories (Part 3)

After you read Karelis on the behavioral causes of poverty, you’ll probably assume he’s some sort of social conservative.  If you have the patience to hear him out, however, you’ll discover that he’s one of a kind; no earlier thinker ever thought what Karelis thinks.

Skeptical?  After discussing how the poor make themselves poor, Karelis’ next task is to examine the leading left- and right-wing explanations for persistent poverty.  He breaks them into three “dysfuction” theories and three no...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis vs. Six Standard Stories

After you read Karelis on the behavioral causes of poverty, you’ll probably assume he’s some sort of social conservative.  If you have the patience to hear him out, however, you’ll discover that he’s one of a kind; no earlier thinker ever thought what Karelis thinks.

Skeptical?  After discussing how the poor make themselves poor, Karelis’ next task is to examine the leading left- and right-wing explanations for persistent poverty.  He breaks them into three “dysfuction” theories and three no...

The Persistence of Poverty: Karelis’ Puzzle (Part 2)

I first heard about Charles Karelis’ The Persistence of Poverty when it was published in 2007.  I didn’t just fail to read it; after hearing summaries of its thesis, I considered it too absurd to read.  Now that I’m writing a book on poverty, however, I felt duty-bound to go through the whole book.  When I did, I wasn’t just pleasantly surprised.  I was astounded.  The Persistence of Poverty is an awesome book.  So logical.  So concise.  So direct.  So insightful.  So beautifully written.  W...