Saturday, September 08, 2012

Weekend Links 8th September

This weekend's links.

1. Summary by Constantin Gurdgiev of new paper on link between debt and mental health 

2. CourseRa potentially moving to next level of allowing people to do exams in testing centers  There really should be more discussion about this in traditional universities. I really cannot envisage a world where these models will fundamentally disrupt the Oxfords of the world. But they are clearly evolving to a point where many of the stock courses provided by standard universities may have serious competition. This would be a good thing for students and the wider world but it is something that universities need to prepare for or suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of a technological shift.

3. Article in Times Higher on academic writing aimed at wider world. Communicating to real people. How dare he.

4. Why academics should blog.

5. Curing What Ails Us: How the Lessons of Behavioral Economics Can Improve Health Care Markets. Conclusion of paper: "An approach that recognizes the confusion that often surrounds health care purchases and the need to build social trust between doctors and patients, and one that seeks to empower consumers rather than overwhelm them, is the only way for health care reform ultimately to succeed in its mission to both expand access and reduce costs".

6. Real Social Science: Applied Phronesis. Bent Flyvbjerg, Landman and Schram, (eds.). Cambridge University Press. April 2012. Review on LSE Review of Books.

7. Credit Default Swap rates were frequently rolled out as indicators of impending Armageddon during the financial crisis. A new paper on what drives these rates.

8. Uk Department of Work and Pensions paper on who will benefit most from autoenrolment.  I am excited to see this policy being rolled out and looking forward to the 2014 roll out in Ireland. If rolled out well, it offers the potential to provide a measure of long-term financial stability to a group of workers who have never traditionally saved for retirement. 

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