Tag: institutions

An Economic Policy Film Review: “Default”

I recently had the opportunity to watch the Korean film "Default" (Gukgabudo-ui Nal) (2018). The film models itself quite transparently on "The Big Short" (2015), aiming to be a behind-the-scenes tell-all about the lead-up to the Korean chapter of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. To the extent that I knew far too little about this … Continue reading An Economic Policy Film Review: “Default” →

The Challenge of Deepfakes and the Need for Institutions

What are Deepfakes? Fake videos that are too good for most people to tell apart from the real thing. These have long been used for entertainment, but it is clear the dangers that these can pose to the political and informational system. Unfortunately, we have to start treating videos with as much skepticism as we … Continue reading The Challenge of Deepfakes and the Need for Institutions →

On the Relative Longevity of Chinese and Roman Civilization

Ask yourself this question: which survived longer, China, or Rome? The conventional answer is China, of course. By why is that the conventional answer? Is that not just a story we tell ourselves? Why do we say that China is 2000 years old, but that the Roman Empire fell 1500 years ago? China was conquered … Continue reading On the Relative Longevity of Chinese and Roman Civilization →