The history of economic engineering, and other sessions at the ASSA today that I'll attend or wish I could

At the ASSA meetings this morning, I'll be discussing a session called

Economics and Engineering: Institutions, Practices and Cultures

Paper Session

 Friday, Jan. 4, 2019   8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

 Hilton Atlanta, 405

Hosted By: HISTORY OF ECONOMICS SOCIETY

·       Chair: Pedro Garcia Duarte, University of São Paulo

 

Engineering, Management Science, and American Economics, 1900 – 1940

Thomas Stapleford

,

University of Notre Dame

•  View Abstract

Engineering and Economics at Stanford, 1950-1990

Beatrice Cherrier

,

University of Cergy-Pontoise and CNRS

Aurélien Saïdi

,

Paris Nanterre University and ESCP Europe

•  View Abstract

German Fears in Economic Engineering: An Affective Criticism

Till Duppe

,

University of Québec-Montréal

•  View Abstract

Discussant(s)

Alvin Roth

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I can't yet be sure what I'll say, but in my discussion of engineering and economics at Stanford I'll surely show a photo or two of Bob Wilson, maybe this old one:

Bob Wilson and Al Roth, Stanford IMSSS, 197x

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Later in the day (after some job-market interviewing) I plan to attend the

AEA/AFA Joint Luncheon

 Friday, Jan. 4, 2019   12:30 PM - 2:15 PM

 Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Imperial Ballroom

Hosted By: American Economic Association & American Finance Association

• Chair: Ben Bernanke, Brookings Institution

• Speaker: Susan Athey, Stanford University: The Impact of Machine Learning on Econometrics and Economics
• ************

Since I haven't figured out how to be in two places at once, I'll miss

Putting the "Ec" in Tech: Economics at Tech Firms

Paper Session

 Friday, Jan. 4, 2019   12:30 PM - 2:15 PM

 Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Marquis Ballroom A

Hosted By: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR BUSINESS ECONOMICS

• Chair: Carolyn Evans, Intel Corp.

How Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Can Impact Market Design

Paul Milgrom

, 

Stanford University

Steven Tadelis

,

University of California-Berkeley

•  View Abstract
 
•  Download Preview (PDF, 865.75 KB)

Economics at Uber

Jonathan Hall

,

Uber

•  View Abstract

Digital Disintermediation and Efficiency in the Market for Ideas

Christian Peukert

,

Catholic University of Portugal

Imke Reimers

,

Northeastern University

•  View Abstract
 
•  Download Preview (PDF, 895.77 KB)

A Machine Learned, Real Time Measure of the Rate of Inflation

Patrick Bajari

,

University of Washington

Victor Chernozhukov

,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ramon Huerta

,

University of California-San Diego

Ashish Mishra

,

Amazon

Bernhard Schoelkopf

,

Max Planck Institute

•  View Abstract

****************

• Later, if the creeks don't rise, I hope to attend

• Market Design for Online Platforms

  
  

   Friday, Jan. 4, 2019   2:30 PM - 4:30 PM

   Hilton Atlanta, 223
  Hosted By: ECONOMIC SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
  ·       Chair: Yan Chen, University of Michigan

  Toward an Understanding of the Economics of Apologies: Evidence from a Large-scale Natural Field Experiment

  Basil Halperin
  , 
  Uber Technologies Inc
  Benjamin Ho
  , 
  Vassar College
  John A. List
  ,
  University of Chicago, NBER, Uber Technologies Inc.
  Ian Muir
  , 
  Uber Technologies Inc
  ·        View Abstract

  The Design of Feedback Revision Rules - An Experimental Study

  Gary Bolton
  , 
  University of Texas-Dallas
  Kevin Breuer
  , 
  University of Cologne
  Ben Greiner
  , 
  Vienna University of Economics and Business
  Axel Ockenfels
  , 
  University of Cologne
  ·        View Abstract

  Team Competition and Driver Productivity in Ride-sharing: A Natural Field Experiment at Didi

  Wei Ai
  , 
  University of Michigan
  Yan Chen
  , 
  University of Michigan
  Qiaozhu Mei
  , 
  University of Michigan
  Jieping Ye
  , 
  University of Michigan and Didi Chuxing Inc.
  Lingyo Zhang
  , 
  Didi Chuxing Inc.
  ·        View Abstract

  Discussant(s)

  Laura Gee, 
  Tufts University
  Chiara Farronato, 
  Harvard University
  Stephanie Wang, 
  University of Pittsburgh
  Chenyu Yang, 
  University of Rochester
  ***********
• and at 4:45
• Richard T. Ely Lecture Presiding: Ben Bernanke Speaker: David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Topic: Work of the Past, Work of the Future
• 
  
• 
  

Public views of gene editing

Most Americans support gene-editing embryos to prevent diseases, poll shows

"Most Americans say it would be OK to use gene-editing technology to create babies protected against a variety of diseases — but a new poll shows they’d draw the line at changing DNA so children are born smarter, faster or taller.

A month after startling claims of the births of the world’s first gene-edited babies in China, the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds people are torn between the medical promise of a technology powerful enough to alter human heredity and concerns over whether it will be used ethically.

...

"The AP-NORC poll shows about 7 in 10 Americans favor one day using gene-editing technology to prevent an incurable or fatal disease a child otherwise would inherit, such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington’s disease."

Fertility tourism to the U.S.

The Washington Post suggests that the U.S.A. might be a good place to come if your neighbors at home disapprove of what you hope to do...

From sex selection to surrogates, American IVF clinics provide services outlawed elsewhere

"While many countries have moved in recent years to impose boundaries on assisted reproduction, the U.S. fertility industry remains largely unregulated and routinely offers services outlawed elsewhere. As a result, the United States has emerged as a popular destination for IVF patients from around the world seeking controversial services — not just sex selection, but commercial surrogacy, anonymous sperm donation and screening for physical characteristics such as eye color.
...
"Numerous other countries also are tightening their regulation of the fertility industry. Last year, India banned commercial surrogacy. Next year, Ireland is set to join the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, New Zealand and others in prohibiting anonymous sperm donation. And a large number of countries — including China, Canada and Australia — ban gender selection except in rare cases of medical need.
...
"A survey published in March in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics found that nearly 73 percent of U.S. fertility clinics offer gender selection. Of those, nearly 84 percent offer it to couples who do not have fertility problems but are considering IVF solely to control the pregnancy’s outcome."

Economists as heroes (in new German book...)

Iconomix has a review of
Ökonomen sind Superhelden (Economists are superheroes)

"In his book, business journalist Malte Buhse shows how economists and economists hunt down criminals and save lives.
...
"Economists are modern superheroes and do outstanding things:

• Harvard economist Melissa Dell, for example, has used network research to simulate Mexican smuggling drug trafficking routes, giving investigators the most cost-effective transportation routes for drug trafficking. On the routes recommended by the model, the investigators were indeed successful.
• A similar problem was tackled by economists Eliana La Ferrara and Stefano Della Vigna with a completely different approach: to track down illegal arms transports, researchers tracked share price movements of smaller arms manufacturers and combined these data with the course of civil wars in countries such as Angola or Liberia. If the courses turned up after certain events, this aroused the suspicion of arms smuggling. Customs officials used this data to help enforce the arms embargo.
• An economist-superhero who won the Nobel Prize for his work is Alvin Roth. He has designed a market system that can help people with incurable kidney disease get a life-saving transplant. Often there is the problem that the patients find a donor-willing person in the immediate environment, but these are not considered as a donor due to the blood type. The market solution now is that such donor pairs are brought together and the relatives donate the kidney for the stranger - so to speak, crosswise. Thus, life can be saved with simple economic considerations."

The year in passings

Another year has passed, and I noted the passing in 2018 of several economists whose work has been important to market design.

Thursday, August 30, 2018 James Mirrlees 1936-2018

Thursday, August 23, 2018 Martin Shubik, 1926-2018

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 Martine Quinzii, RIP

 It appears that I didn't make such a post last year, and so let's remember also these distinguished economists:

Thursday, May 4, 2017 William J. Baumol (1922-2017)

Monday, April 3, 2017 Julio Rotemberg (1953-2017)

Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Ken Arrow (1921-2017)

Sunday, January 29, 2017 Yuji Ijiri (1935-2017)

Tuesday, January 3, 2017 Tony Atkinson (1944-2017)

I also noted the passing of a giant of transplantation,

Monday, March 6, 2017 Tom Starzl (1926-2017)

and of one of my great teachers when I was in college:

Wednesday, September 19, 2018 Masataka Mori, Sensei (1938-2018)

Rare whiskey: destructive testing

The Guardian breaks the news:
Rare whisky market flooded with fakes, says dealer
Lab tests found 21 out of 55 bottles of allegedly vintage scotch were counterfeit

"Simpson said it was not yet clear what systematic checks would work since the only accurate way of testing a whisky at present was to open the bottle and subject the liquid to chemical testing or the carbon testing techniques used by the Scottish centre.

"However, opening the bottle destroyed its value, making it impossible to prove its provenance while ensuring it could be sold on if it was found to be genuine. It would need the police or food safety authorities to tackle the problem, he said, by tracking a fraudulent bottle to its source."
***********

See earlier, related post. (I wonder if there is insurance against counterfeits?)

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Insuring your whiskey collection