Archives
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As We Exhaust Our Oil, It Will Get Cheaper But Less Affordable
December 03, 2020
As we run out of oil, many people believe that its price will skyrocket. But I think the opposite will happen. Oil prices will plummet … yet oil will grow increasingly unaffordable.
Peak Oil Never Went Away
November 16, 2020
Peak oil was all the rage a decade ago. Now nobody's talking about it. The funny thing is, it's still happening.
The Deconstructing Econospeak App
November 05, 2020
I build an app that lets you explore my econospeak data.
Ideological Tunnel Vision
November 04, 2020
The US election got me thinking about the power of ideology.
Deconstructing Econospeak
October 30, 2020
I built a bot that counts word frequency. Here's what it says about the language in economics textbooks.
The Capital as Power Forum Lives Again!
October 29, 2020
Check out the new and improved Capital as Power Forum.
Working With Google Ngrams: A Data-Wrangling Tale
October 19, 2020
Here's a tale about empirical work that demonstrates a simple rule: the deeper you go, the harder it gets.
The Business of 'Free'
October 09, 2020
A post in which I ask for money the radical political-economist way.
How the History of Class Struggle is Written on the Stock Market
October 05, 2020
The effects of class struggle, it seems, are written in the most unlikely of places: the stock market.
The Review of Capital as Power
September 28, 2020
Exciting news! I am the new editor of the Review of Capital as Power.
Advice for an Aspiring Economist
September 24, 2020
Some advice about how to avoid getting hoodwinked by mainstream economics.
A Tribute to David Graeber
September 21, 2020
In this guest post, economist Christophe Petit pays tribute to his friend and mentor David Graeber.
A Second Look at Hierarchy
September 18, 2020
In 1957, Herbert Simon proposed that CEO pay had a simple explanation: it stemmed largely from rank in a hierarchy. His model was largely forgotton. Here's a second look.
Frederick Soddy's Debt Dynamics
September 12, 2020
Frederick Soddy looms large in the field of ecological economics. Here's a short dive into his ideas.
Stocks Are Up. Wages Are Down. What Does it Mean?
September 04, 2020
The US is in uncharted territory. Never before have stocks been so high relative to wages. Here's what it means.
Free Capital as Power Ebook
August 26, 2020
Capital as Power — the seminal text written by Jonathan Nitzan and Shimshon Bichler — is now available for free as both an epub and online book.
Why 'General Intelligence' Doesn't Exist
August 18, 2020
IQ tests have always bothered me. They claim to measure 'general intelligence'. I think this is bullshit.
Winning the Game of Life
August 11, 2020
Here are 10 countries that are beating the energy-life expectancy trend and 10 countries that are falling behind.
Supply and Demand Deconstructed
August 05, 2020
In a new video, Jonathan Nitzan demolishes the neoclassical theory of prices. Here's a summary and some consequences.
The Paradox of Individualism and Hierarchy
July 31, 2020
People tend to become more individualistic at the same time that hierarchy grows. What explains this paradox?
Living the Good Life … Without Killing the Planet
July 17, 2020
How can we improve human welfare without consuming more energy?
Why America Won't Be 'Great' Again
July 11, 2020
The rise and fall of empires is written in the language of energy. Let's have a look at this 'energy book' and see why America won't be 'great' again.
Why Isn't Modern Monetary Theory Common Knowledge?
July 05, 2020
I’ve always been baffled that modern monetary theory is called a ‘theory’. Why don’t we just call it ‘the way money is’?
Energy and Institution Size
June 24, 2020
A talk about how and why institutions grow with energy use.
Can the World Get Along Without Natural Resources?
June 18, 2020
I dissect how neoclassical economics treats (neglects) natural resources, and discuss ways to fix it.
Economic Growth Theory … Bah Humbug!
June 10, 2020
The neoclassical theory of economic growth is an example of Murphy's law: everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
What Trait Affects Income the Most?
June 02, 2020
Ever wondered what trait most affects your income? Turns out it’s your rank in a hierarchy.
In the Beginning … There Were Loops
May 28, 2020
I take a break from political economy and talk computer science.
Guest on the Debunking Economics Podcast
May 20, 2020
I discuss my research on income and hierarchy with Steve Keen and Phil Dobbie
Economic Development and the Death of the Free Market
May 19, 2020
I show how hierarchy grows with economic development — something that neoclassical economics says shouldn't happen.
The Free Market as a Double Lie
April 29, 2020
What if the free market has never been about freedom?
Biophysical Economics and the Coronavirus Pandemic
April 15, 2020
I discuss biophysical constraints on our ability to cope with the current pandemic.
The Challenges of Doing Revolutionary Science (Part 2)
March 27, 2020
I recount the difficult lives of a few revolutionary scientists. And I discuss some career tips for doing revolutionary science in a hostile world.
The Challenges of Doing Revolutionary Science (Part 1)
March 22, 2020
Sometimes scientists fall victim to a base human instinct — the need to conform. When they do, we need revolutionary scientists to put science back on track.
What if the Government is Just Another Firm? (Part 2)
February 28, 2020
Politics determine government size, right? Yes and no. I show here that there's more to government size than just politics.
What if the Government is Just Another Firm? (Part 1)
February 19, 2020
Governments are different than firms, right? Maybe not. When it comes to size, governments behave like they're just another firm.
Understanding Income: You Can't Get There from Here
February 07, 2020
When it comes to income, economists ask the wrong question. So they get the wrong answer.
How Do You Spot a Crank?
February 05, 2020
It's a perennial problem in science. How do you know when someone's a crank?
Some Sunshine on the Ontario Job Hierarchy
February 03, 2020
I use the Ontario Sunshine List to shed light on how income grows with hierarchical rank.
Debunking the 'Productivity-Pay Gap'
January 17, 2020
The 'productivity-pay gap' has nothing to do with productivity. Here's why.
The Productivity of Bullshit Jobs
January 07, 2020
What's your 'productivity' when you use a bullshit job as a front to do something creative?
The Power Ethos in the US Military
January 05, 2020
Income in the US military follows the power ethos — to each according to their social influence.
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Economics from the Top Down is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.