Category Frances Woolley
Is it wrong to keep working?
Older university professors earn more than younger ones - this paper has Canadian evidence and references. Studies of scientists and of Norwegian academics have found that research productivity begins to fall at some point, but the onset and rate of decline varies across disciplines. One more recent study found that age and publication productivity were unrelated. Studies (here and here) that track professors' student evaluations over […]
Adam Smith on disaster and virtue
There are no words for what the people of Japan are experiencing: earthquake, tsunami and now, possibly, nuclear disaster. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Adam Smith wrote a troubling passage describing "a man of humanity's" reaction to a far distant earthquake:
Does tweeting signal success?
More than one person has suggested that I start tweeting, but I'm afraid to. As my nearest and dearest have observed "Who would follow you on twitter?" It would be mortifying to be on twitter and have no followers. Yet tweeting is like bird song. A bird who sings early, long, and well will typically be […]
Revealed preference for newsprint and the rise of Fox News.
My dog can't talk, but his preferences are revealed by his actions. I know he likes tofu better than chicken because, given a choice between a piece of tofu and a piece of chicken, he will pick the tofu. Choices reveal human preferences too. In January, my parents arranged for me to have a free […]
LED holiday lights and the rebound effect
The holiday light market is now dominated by energy-efficient LEDs. According to BC Hydro: The big difference is that they use up to 90 per cent less energy than incandescent lights, which means your holiday lighting charges could be as much as 90 per cent less than if you used incandescent lights only. The charges could be […]
Wikipedia is dominated by men. So what?
About 15 percent of contributors to Wikipedia are women. Sometimes this shows. The entry for employment equity as of March 5, 2011, ran as follows: Employment equity refers to Canadian policies that require or encourage preferential treatment in employment practices for certain designated groups: women, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, and visible minorities.[1] Employment equity goes beyond mere non-discrimination […]
We learn, and then we forget
Every time the census is released, hopes are raised for the future of bilingualism in Canada. Although relatively few older Canadians can speak both official languages, bilingualism rates are higher for young Canadians. Here's a picture, based on 2006 Census data, showing the percentage of non-Francophones in each age group who are bilingual, that is, […]
Toilet cleaning, department chairing, and the ratchet effect
One of my all-time favourite paper titles is Marc Bilodeau and Al Slivinski's "Toilet cleaning and department chairing: volunteering a public service." Like any great title, it conveys the gist of the authors' argument in just a few words. Chairing a university department is a public service. Like toilet cleaning, it is something that has […]
The political economy of rising tuition
Some facts about university finances in Canada: 1. Undergraduate tuition has doubled in real terms in the last twenty years; tuition in professional programs has risen much more rapidly. 2. University enrolments are growing, as the participation rate – the percentage of people in a given age group attending university – continues to rise. 3. Each […]
Have universities reached the tipping point?
In 1983, a t-shirt cost about $10 or $20, an album $10 or $15, and undergraduate tuition at University of Waterloo cost $1313.74 annually for architecture, its most expensive undergraduate program. In 2011, a first year architecture student at University of Waterloo pays $7,697 in fees each year (and architecture is far from being University of Waterloo's most expensive program). […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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