economics
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What is the American Dream?: Dueling dualities in the American tradition
Throughout history, there have been alternative, competing visions of the "good life" in America. What is the American Dream and what is its future?
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The American suburbs are a giant Ponzi scheme
Our current pattern of autocentric development does not create real wealth. It creates the illusion of wealth. Today we are in the process of seeing that illusion destroyed, and with it the prosperity we have come to take for granted.
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Getting their fair share: The rise of the barter market [VIDEO]
Barter markets — where people bring stuff they don’t want and exchange it for stuff that other people don’t want — are like urban sustainability Swiss Army knives. It’s amazing how many things they can do. They reduce the amount of expensive new crap people buy. They help folks clean out unwanted junk from their […]
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The grand tour: How bike tourism helps local economies
This is the eighth column in a series focusing on the economics of bicycling. Bike-friendly cities, off-road paths, and scenic country roads where cyclists can spin along in comfort aren’t just good for the people who live in those places. They also attract tourists. And tourists mean money for the local economy. Tourism is one […]
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Freewheeling: Bicycling and the art of being broke
This is the seventh column in a series focusing on the economics of bicycling. More and more of us have less and less money these days. Fortunately, there are a lot of things you don’t need money to do, and bicycling is one of them. When you’re broke, a bicycle can help a lot. Financially, […]
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Learn about oil prices through the magic of rap
Kids these days, with their "emo" and their "MySpace" and their "sexting"! How do you "get down" verbally to show you're "hep"? How about a rap music song! Actually, while the apparent vogue of rap-based explainers is a little weird, we can't complain too much about this one, since it brought us the line "oil's […]
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Cuts to U.K. solar incentive may spread economic benefits more widely
This post originally appeared on Energy Self-Reliant States, a resource of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s New Rules Project. A proposed revision to the United Kingdom’s feed-in tariff program may have created an uproar, but it may also help spread the economic benefits of solar more widely. The proposed changes, announced in March, would reduce solar […]
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How bad ideas keep rebounding into public discourse: the rebound effect and its refutation
The rebound effect: a light that never goes out.Cross-posted from the Natural Resources Defense Council. Every few years, a new report emerges that tries to resurrect an old hypothesis: that energy efficiency policy somehow results in consumers using more energy instead of less. This hypothesis was introduced in the 19th century by economist William Stanley […]
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Rep. Earl Blumenauer wants better tax benefits for bike, transit commuters
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.)Photo: Thomas Le NgoWhat is a sensible political reaction to rising gas prices? Standing around shouting “Drill, baby, drill”? Or offering material support to commuters who increasingly opt for public transportation or biking to work? Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), who often sports a bike pin in his lapel (and rides a bike […]