Link Archipelago

November 24, 2009

by Mike Gibson

The Law Versus Legislation

For people who wish to see more than 250 nations on this earth, and the freedom to move among them, you might think we would be concerned about “the Paradox of Choice.” Tim Harford has a column exposing this claptrap: “The average of all these studies suggests that offering lots of extra choices seems to make no important difference either way.”
Harvard economist Ed Glaeser on why it’s difficult to measure the amount and degree of entrepreneurialism in a city. Big question: why is New York more dynamic than Pittsburgh?
Jurisdictional arbitrage watch, NBA edition: since the NBA sports cartel prohibited 18 year-olds from playing for money, and since the NCAA indentured servant service prohibits anyone playing for money, Brandon Jennings skipped over to Italy to make some bucks. Now he’s back in the States and playing well–his example may inspire other indentured servants to claim their economic freedom.
The law versus legislation: legislators build rectilinear walking paths in Brasilia and Detroit, but more desirable walking paths emerge on their own. Out of the pathways of desire, no straight urban planning was ever made.

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