Category Econometrics
Son Preference: Statistical, Economic and Policy Significance
My Economy Lab column this week is about Missing women in China – and Canada too? Recent research by Douglas Almond, Lena Edlund, and WCI regular Kevin Milligan has found evidence of "son preference" – families planning their children to make sure that they have at least one son – within some ethnic groups in […]
Economy Lab: Why economic forecasting goes awry
My first post at the Globe and Mail's new Economy Lab site is now up.
When academic publishing goes wrong: the case of missing women and Hepatitis B
This is a story about how something that turns out to be wrong can be published in a top journal, and what happens next. The Freakonomics team tell good stories, so I'll let them begin. In 2005, they wrote an article in Slate magazine lavishly praising the work of a young economist called Emily Oster.
The experts weigh in: Four very good commentaries on the census in Canadian Public Policy
The September 2010 issue of Canadian Public Policy has four articles on the census debacle, and they are all very much worth reading. As academic publishing goes, this is a lightening-quick response to a decision that was announced less than three months ago. I strongly encourage you to read them for yourselves: they are relatively […]
Will a voluntary census be more truthful?
From my inbox: [O]ne of my colleagues insists that he does not know of any way to correct for biases in mandatory surveys from outright lying or refusal to answer (in spite of any penalties for doing so), and I had to admit I didn't really know either. Can one easily detect fabricated or implausible […]
Remembering the ballentine
Peter Kennedy passed away suddenly on August 30, after a bicycle ride and swim near his Whistler home. He was the best teacher. His ability to remember students' names was legendary. He did it by association "I remembered your name was Peter because you have a red coat, and my hair is red and my […]
The census, evidence-based policy analysis and a reversal of roles
One of the least edifying aspects of the census debacle is the government's spin to the effect that that the only people who oppose its decision to make the long form voluntary are 'left-wingers', so their concerns can therefore be dismissed out of hand. One version of this meme takes the form of the argument […]
The census issue won’t go away. Ever.
The government modified its census position yesterday. Unfortunately for the cause of responsible government, these changes don't alter the situation much – but they do illustrate the vapidity of the government's stance.
A preliminary estimate for Canadian 2010Q2 GDP growth
It's time to update my series of posts (2009Q1, 2009Q2, 2009Q3, 2009Q4, 2010Q1) in which I try to take the GDP numbers from the first two months of a given quarter, mix them with the LFS numbers from the third month, and concoct a preliminary estimate for quarterly GDP growth. The BEA released theirs yesterday […]
The economics of census data
One of the surprising things about the census fiasco is that of all the publicy-provided services that small-government advocates could target, the census is very near the bottom of the list of priorities. Many of the services provided by governments could and perhaps should be produced by the private sector. But the economics of databases […]
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