Market design comes to the "new new economic sociology" (and vice versa)

 In the Journal of Cultural Economy, sociologists reflect on their involvement with engineers in a project to integrate wind-generated electricity in Denmark.

Ossandón, J., & Pallesen, T. (2025). The new new economic sociology – the market intervention test. Journal of Cultural Economy, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2025.2451252 

 

ABSTRACT: "This paper explores what happens when the ‘new new economic sociology’ – the figure created with Callon’s importation of ANT to the study of markets – intervenes in market interventions. Empirically, the paper examines a situation in which a researcher moves out of her habitual position of studying economists and engineers doing markets, to instead take part in an effort of engineering a market. The paper has two contributions. One is analytical. We propose a framework to inspect that special constrained situation in which the new new economic sociology coexists with market design. The second contribution is more practical. We hope what we propose in this paper, will help others in a similar situation to understand the particular direction of their intervention. "

Lise Vesterlund is celebrated at the Copenhagen Business School

 Here's the announcemnt; the ceremony is tomorrow.

They reveal hidden structures in the economy and job market: Lise Vesterlund and Mariana Mazzucato appointed honorary doctors at CBS.

"On Friday 21 March, two of the world’s most influential economists and research pioneers will be appointed honorary doctors at CBS. Join us for open lectures where they share their insights into gender equality, economic value creation and the invisible structures shaping the job market."

 "How can we create a fairer workplace where top talent is promoted, and women’s careers are not held back by invisible burdens? This is the question that Professor Lise Vesterlund, co-author of the critically acclaimed book The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work, has dedicated her research to. She is now being appointed honorary doctor at Copenhagen Business School, and in her open lecture she will explore the invisible structures at play and the issue of gender equality in the workplace."

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Bonus picture, from (I think) an early workshop for The Handbook  Experimental Economics vol. 2:

Low back pain: meta-analysis

 The NYT has the story:

What Works for Low Back Pain? Not Much, a New Study Says
Researchers looked at 56 treatments for acute and chronic pain. Few of them were effective. By Nina Agrawal

"Acetaminophen. Acupuncture. Massage. Muscle relaxants. Cannabinoids. Opioids. The list of available treatments for low back pain goes on and on. But there’s not good evidence that these treatments actually reduce the pain, according to a new study that summarized the results of hundreds of randomized trials.

Low back pain affects an estimated one in four American adults and is the leading contributor to disability globally. In most diagnosed cases, the pain is considered “nonspecific,” meaning it doesn’t have a clear cause. That’s also partly what makes it so hard to treat.

In the study, published on Tuesday in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, researchers reviewed 301 randomized trials that compared 56 noninvasive treatments for low back pain, like medications and exercise, with placebos. 

...

The researchers found that only one treatment — the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen and aspirin — was effective at reducing short-term, or acute, low back pain. Five other treatments had good enough evidence to be considered effective at reducing chronic low back pain. These were exercise; spinal manipulation, like you might receive from a chiropractor; taping the lower back; antidepressants; and the application of a cream that creates a warming sensation. Even so, the benefit was small.


“The big takeaways from this paper are that low back pain is exceptionally difficult to treat,” said Steve Davidson, the associate director of the N.Y.U. Pain Research Center, who was not involved in the study. “There are a few treatments that they found that were effective, but those that were effective are marginally clinically effective.”

Drone warfare in Ukraine (beating plowshares into swords...)

 The WSJ has the story

All-Robot Assault Opens New Chapter in Front-Line Warfare.  Ukraine’s drone-only attack was the first of its kind and is set to carve a path for more fully automated warfare  By  Alistair MacDonald and Ievgeniia Sivorka 

"When working on land drones, Kopach, who was set to begin a doctorate program in math at a U.S. university before the war broke out, studied the rover NASA used on Mars, with a particular focus on its wheels."

Making America contagious again: Measles

 Nature has the story:

Will RFK Jr’s vaccine agenda make America contagious again?
Fears are rising that infectious diseases such as measle pbtycould make a comeback now that the anti-vaccine advocate is in charge of the US public-health system.  By Heidi Ledford

"Measles was declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, but sporadic outbreaks still occur when unvaccinated travellers bring the virus in from abroad. This year’s outbreak has proved deadly: in February, an unvaccinated and otherwise healthy six-year-old in Texas became the first person in a decade to die from measles in the United States. Officials are evaluating another possible measles death in New Mexico.

"At least 95% of a population must be vaccinated against measles to achieve herd immunity, whereby enough of a population is immune that a disease will not spread. In the United States, the level dropped just below that, to 93% during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has yet to recover. Measles is one of the most infectious human diseases, meaning that even a slight dip in vaccine coverage can make a big difference, says Ashley Gromis, a social epidemiologist at the RAND Corporation, a think tank in Santa Monica, California.

"The 95% vaccination goal also assumes that unvaccinated individuals are evenly distributed throughout the population, she says. In practice, that is rarely the case. In Texas, about 94% of children entering kindergarten are vaccinated against measles. But in the region where the current outbreak began, only 82% are. “These pockets in which you have lots of susceptible individuals helps disease start circulating,” says Gromis.

Such numbers mean the United States is now “dangerously close” to losing ‘elimination’ status for measles, says Margaret Doll, an epidemiologist at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York. Given that prospect, it is particularly important for public-health officials to promote vaccines, she says. “You would like that message to be supported by our leading health authorities.”

...

"For Gardner, the turmoil surrounding childhood vaccines is reminiscent of the politicization that crept into COVID-19 vaccine discussions during the pandemic. “It’s really discouraging to see that happening again,” she says."

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And this from MedPage Today:

RFK Jr. Falsely Claims Measles Vax Causes Deaths 'Every Year'
— Vaccine expert debunks recent statements from nation's top health official by Greg Laub,  March 14, 2025 

A Canadian MAID doctor recalls her first time

 Yesterday's post was about medical aid in dying (MAID) in Switzerland, and the decision of a courageous scientist.  Below are some excerpts from a story in the Guardian about how MAID looks from a Canadian doctor's point of view.

‘We’re going to talk about death today – your death’: a doctor on what it’s like to end a life rather than extend one.  I used to focus on maternity and newborn care, but when Canada legalised assisted dying in 2016, I began helping people with a different transition  By Dr Stefanie Green 

"I get down to the essentials. “Why do you want to die?”

"Harvey smirks. “I don’t! I’d rather live. I’ve had a great life. But it seems I no longer have much say in the matter.”

...

“I’ve got great friends, great kids, we’re blessed with family all around us. I know I’m lucky. I’ve been married to this gal here for 52 years … ” He trails off, holds Norma’s hand, shakes it at me a bit and swallows some emotion before continuing. “I really wanted to make it to 52 years, and I did.” He’s quieter now, his energy already drained. “Now I’m ready.”

"Harvey is straightforward with me. He knows he is dying, that it will not be long, but he wants to control the how and the when.

“I want Norma and the kids with me at the end,” he says with a flash of spirit, “here, in my home, in my own bedroom … I want to do it my way. I want to have my friends over this weekend, have one last bash, maybe even sneak a sip of a beer.” He smiles at the thought. “I’ve seen friends linger on at the end … in bed … out of their minds. I’m not interested in putting myself or my family through that.”

"Harvey ticks every box of eligibility. He is capable of making his own decisions, he is making a voluntary request, and he has a grievous and irremediable condition. He will need to sign an official request form, and Norma assures me it will be completed by the end of the day, witnessed by two independent people. After that, a mandatory 10-day reflective period can begin. The law also requires a second clinical opinion, so I will call a local colleague to see if he is available.

"The next few days are busy. As is expected with his liver failure, Harvey continues to decline cognitively. If he declines too much, too quickly, he won’t be able to give his final consent immediately before the procedure, which is required. Because the second doctor and I agree this risk is imminent, we are allowed to shorten the waiting period. Harvey chooses a date three days out."

Danny Kahneman's final decision

Danny Kahneman spent his life thinking about how humans make decisions.  His final decision was to travel to Switzerland to avail himself of the medical aid in dying laws there. (A number of American states permit medical aid in dying, but only for those who have been diagnosed as very near death.)  Danny chose to depart on his own schedule.

 The WSJ has the story:

The Last Decision by the World’s Leading Thinker on Decisions
Shortly before Daniel Kahneman died last March, he emailed friends a message: He was choosing to end his own life in Switzerland. Some are still struggling with his choice.  By Jason Zweig, March 14, 2025 

"In mid-March 2024, Daniel Kahneman flew from New York to Paris with his partner, Barbara Tversky, to unite with his daughter and her family. They spent days walking around the city, going to museums and the ballet, and savoring soufflés and chocolate mousse. Around March 22, Kahneman, who had turned 90 that month, also started emailing a personal message to several dozen of the people he was closest to.

“On March 26, Kahneman left his family and flew to Switzerland. His email explained why:

“This is a goodbye letter I am sending friends to tell them that I am on my way to Switzerland, where my life will end on March 27.”

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I wasn't among the recipients of Danny's email, but I am not surprised.  Here is my blog post from a year ago, noting his passing:

Wednesday, March 27, 2024 Danny Kahneman (1934-2024)

"His death was confirmed by his stepdaughter Deborah Treisman, the fiction editor for the New Yorker. She did not say where or how he died."