Category Archives: Dubious statistics

Why “Green Growth” Is an Illusion

Wishful thinking and tinkering like “green growth” won’t cut it. Nothing short of a mass mobilization for deep de-carbonization across the global economy can avert the looming climate catastrophe.

Machine Learning and Economics

Some economists contend that machine learning and AI can improve economics.

How Economists Impede Addressing Climate Change

Earth to economists: you are a big part of the climate change problem.

Our New York Magazine Article: “Fake ‘Unicorns’ Are Running Roughshod Over the Venture Capital Industry”

Fake unicorns are a real problem for the venture capital industry.

Is This Time Different? Examining Recent Emerging-Market Turbulence

Some emerging-market economies look wobbly. How likely are we to see more crises?

Trump and the Midterms: Is It Not The Economy, Stupid?

What role did the state of the economy likely play in the midterm results?

Stock Markets Do Not Create Value

A new study on stock price performance undermines conventional thinking.

Former Health Insurance Executive Debunks Trump Attacks on Single Payer

Even with health care polling as the top issue with voters, Trump is one of the loudest, but far from the only, politician out to demonize single payer.

Mortality Risk, Valuing Lives, and the Impact on Health Care

The way economists think about the value of lives influences health care policy, and some of their ideas may be producing bad outcomes.

Mischaracterizing HAMP and Principal Reduction: A Regression Discontinuity Test Error

Explaining a fundamental error in a widely-touted paper on HAMP modifications.

What’s the Problem with Financialization?

Some of the analytical sleights of hand used to promote the ideology of financializatation.

“Fatally Flawed” Paper on HAMP Mortgage Program Gets Program Design Backwards, Botches Regression Analysis, Yielding Propagandistic Findings

How a new paper on HAMP manages, by not understanding the program. to whitewash it as well as promote financialization.

Estimating the Impact of Climate Change Costs on Growth: Is Degrowth Already Here?

Some back of the envelope estimates show that the economic cost of climate change is already cutting into growth in a big way….and it will only get much worse.

FICO Gets Creative With Credit Scores to Facilitate Getting More Americans in Debt

FICO is evil.

Brexit Derivatives Risk: Did the City Overplay Its £38 Trillion Hand?

Novating UK derivatives contracts entered into by EU clearinghouse members is a ginormous mess, particularly in a Brexit crashout. But how serious a mess?