I noticed an interesting juxtaposition in two recent NYT articles. A few days ago, in a news article by Al Baker on “gifted and talented” programs in public schools: For critics of New York City’s gifted and talented programs, that image crystallizes what they say is a flawed system that reinforces racial separation in the […]
Andrew Gelman
Andrew Gelman is a professor of statistics and political science and director of the Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University.
Posted inPolitics
It’s Sad That Obama Is Doing This
Thomas Ferguson sends along this news article by Lisa Lerer and Jonathan Salant: Obama’s Inaugural Fundraising Lays Groundwork for Legacy President Barack Obama has mused about his legacy . . . Now, he’s beginning to prepare for it, starting by embracing a new sponsor: Corporate America. . . . His shift from four years ago, […]
Posted inPolitics
Preregistration of Studies and Mock Reports
The traditional system of scientific and scholarly publishing is breaking down in two different directions. On one hand, we are moving away from relying on a small set of journals as gatekeepers: the number of papers and research projects is increasing, the number of publication outlets is increasing, and important manuscripts are being posted on […]
Posted inPolitics
That Controversial Claim that High Genetic Diversity, or Low Genetic Diversity, Is Bad for the Economy
Kyle Peyton writes: I’m passing you this recent news article by Ewen Callaway in the hope that you will make a comment about the methodology on your blog. It’s generated some back and forth between the economics and science communities. I [Peyton] am very sceptical of the reductive approach taken by the economics profession generally, […]
Posted inPolitics
Congress vs. Nickelback: The Real Action is in the Cross Tabs
I can’t tell if this is a spoof: When asked if they have a higher opinion of either Congress or a series of unpleasant or disliked things, voters said they had a higher opinion of root canals (32 for Congress and 56 for the dental procedure), NFL replacement refs (29-56), head lice (19-67), the rock […]
Posted inPolitics
How 2012 Stacks Up: The Hottest Year on Record?
Pat Egan sends along this monstrosity: It would be a fun exercise to find all the problems with the above plot. I’m really glad to have it out there, though. Next time we mock Fox News for one of its ridiculous graphs, we can point to this even worse image for partisan balance. P.S. They […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education
I have the least stressful job in America (duh)
I agree with Susan Adams that being a professor, at least the tenured variety, is one of the least stressful jobs in America. Really, how many jobs are there where you make a good salary, you can never be fired, you only really have to work a few hours a week, you get summers off, […]
Posted inPolitics
“Stemming the Rise of the Oceans”
John Cochrane writes: Yes, infrastructure is crumbling, as a few New Yorkers may have figured out when their power went off, while their politicians—and the Times—instead of talking about burying electric lines and putting in a modern grid, wished instead to stem the rise of oceans and sugar in their soft drinks. But infrastructure spending […]
Posted inPolitics
Did Steven Levitt Really Believe in 2008 that Obama “Would Be the Greatest President in History”?
In the interview we discussed a couple months ago, Steven Levitt said: I [Levitt] voted for Obama [in 2008] because I wanted to tell my grandchildren that I voted for Obama. And I thought that he would be the greatest president in history. This surprised me. I’d assumed Levitt was a McCain supporter! Why? Because […]
Posted inEducation, Higher Education
The Academic Clock
Daniel Drezner tweets: I know what he means, but . . . the flip side of this is that academic publishing is so slow that many of my 2012 publications will in fact appear in 2013. I could sit on my butt and do nothing for the next 364 days and I’d still have a […]
