Deloitte has just released The Shift Index, a study of long-term trends in the U.S. economy.   Two interesting graphs follow which put some numbers on conventional wisdom.  The US economy has...

It is now common in the left-leaning blogosphere to cite Estonia, its rapidly collapsing economy, and its earlier free market policies.  Sometimes the name of Dan Mitchell pops up as well. I...

Will, a loyal MR reader, asks: I just ran across an interesting post by a Jess Weiss on a pro-streetcars-for-DC blog that asks the following question - "In several places in the U.S., most notably...

I love being reminded of the history of economic thought: It seems safe to assume that YouTube’s traffic will continue to grow, with no clear ceiling in sight. Since the majority of Google’s...

There is much more here on the geographic distribution of other major personality traits. The high conscientious people seem to cluster in the Plains. Openness is strong in the Pacific West, New...

Here's all you need to know about the real estate market in Michigan: The 80,000-seat enclosed Silverdome, built for $55.7 million in 1975 to house the Detroit Lions, has sold for $583,000. And you thought your home had lost its value during this...

1. Reprogramming predators, and maybe a pan-species welfare state too. 2. The six great fantasy novels? 3. Forum on the new Robert Pozen book on the financial crisis. 4. Do you wish to hear the other side?  Here is George Selgin's case for...

University of Akron demands DNA sample from faculty as condition of employment. Dating sites use your DNA to find a perfect love match. Hat tip to my true major histocompatibility complex match.

Not just the rich: ...cosmetic surgery is now primarily consumed not by the rich, but by the working and lower-middle classes, sometimes even by the poor.  According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), about 1/3 of...

Preliminary results are in, and they suggest it has helped with math skills but not with reading achievement, as measured in the 4th and 8th grades.  Via Thomas Dee and Brian Jacob: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act compelled states to...