Entries from October 2009 ↓

In Norway, tax returns have been made public.

Alex Tabarrok asks:

Perhaps most interesting–does conspicuous consumption fall and efficiency increase in a society in which income is conspicuous?

An interesting variation on this is: Can we find evidence for people declaring more than what they truly earn so that the neighbours comment on it (reverse tax fraud).

He drives a really old car, but, in fact, he makes a ton on family income alone. I guess he just doesn’t want us to know. You know, old money doesn’t show off.

Probably this effect would be higher in the lower tax-brackets!

(I don’t know how to test for this based on that data, however.)

In Norway, tax returns have been made public. Alex Tabarrok asks: Perhaps most interesting--does conspicuous consumption fall and efficiency increase in a society in which income is conspicuous? An interesting variation on this is: Can we find evidence for people declaring more than what they truly earn so that the neighbours comment on it (reverse tax fraud). He ...

You know an idea is a crackpot idea when it tries to wrap itself in the veneer of respectability by borrowing the name of Economics.

You know an idea is a crackpot idea when it tries to wrap itself in the veneer of respectability by borrowing the name of Economics.

On econtalk the person who headed the gmail team reveals that it was developed by all of a dozen people.

On econtalk the person who headed the gmail team reveals that it was developed by all of a dozen people.

Again, no one of importance won the “Literature” Nobel. Good.

Again, no one of importance won the "Literature" Nobel. Good.