Evan Osborne | Wright State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Evan Osborne
It has probably never occurred to you to think about it, but the man who invented the snowblower ... more It has probably never occurred to you to think about it, but the man who invented the snowblower is responsible for saving at least hundreds of lives.
Stanford University Press eBooks, Jan 23, 2018
The Hungarian government has recently been focusing on innovation policy as part of a wider campa... more The Hungarian government has recently been focusing on innovation policy as part of a wider campaign to improve the business environment. This paper first underscores the importance of a good general business climate in encouraging both formal and informal R&D activity as well as ensuring Hungary benefits from the international diffusion of innovation. In examining specific innovation policies, the new National Innovation System is described and an assessment is made of the National Innovation Fund and the Innovation Contribution used to fund it. Assessment of changes in R&D tax allowances and in the strategy for giving out grants for research is also made. The paper also looks at regulatory reform to improve industry-science links, including the government's recent legislative changes that make it easier for universities to set up spin-off companies. The final section considers what further reforms are needed to help tertiary and compulsory education become more conducive to innovation and to encourage the deepening of human capital in general.
Stanford University Press eBooks, Jan 23, 2018
<p>Beginning in the 1600s, primarily in Britain, the Dutch Territories, and France, people ... more <p>Beginning in the 1600s, primarily in Britain, the Dutch Territories, and France, people not only tried to think about how the world worked (a pattern of thought as old as human civilization); they also agreed that there was much that was yet unknown and collectively built procedures for how to know more. The construction of the system for defining such knowledge and evaluating claims to be adding to it has been a gradual evolution that continues to this day. Among the landmark events discussed are the development of the ideas of hypotheses, the experimental method, free competition among scientific ideas, the use of the (growing number of) mathematical tools to arbitrate scientific claims, the development of modern research universities, the establishment and improvement of the peer review system, and the more recent addition of techniques beyond traditional scientific experiments as ways of supporting or falsifying scientific claims.</p>
Apress eBooks, 2013
In America, you look at the mansion on the hill and think, “One day that will be me.” In Ireland,... more In America, you look at the mansion on the hill and think, “One day that will be me.” In Ireland, people say, “One day, I’m going to get that bastard.”
China Finance and Economic Review, Mar 13, 2016
Background: China's rapid economic transformation is similar in some ways to those that have occu... more Background: China's rapid economic transformation is similar in some ways to those that have occurred in other rapidly developing nations. Is the pattern in China the same? Methods: Crosscountry macrodata are used to compare class self-identification transition in China with other similar countries. Survey microdata from two sources are used to test the comparative pattern to test the determinants of such identification in both China and around the world. Results: The changing structure of self-identification that occurs in many rapidly growing economies are found to be absent in China. In fact, as China has continued to grow, such change as has occured is found to be downward, despite the immense material improvement there. Objective data on income distribution in China do not explain this phenomenon, but distinct features of China's urban real estate market might.
Stanford University Press eBooks, Jan 23, 2018
The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The cre... more The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The creation in Europe of the printing press changed that and made expression a threat to long-standing social institutions. The nature of the new technology made it impossible to fully control the flow of books, pamphlets, and other printed material, but European governments tried. The argument in favor of a free press ultimately emerged, and the practice itself was institutionalized, mostly in Great Britain and northwestern Europe. The chapter emphasizes the self-regulating argument for free communication, that ideas beyond science would be improved if they must be subject to readers’ scrutiny. Particular attention is paid to Milton, Struensee and John Stuart Mill. The arguments made in favor of the broad protection of freedom of speech that prevail in much of the world are shown to have significant self-regulating components.
The goal of Reasonably Simple Economics is, not surprisingly, simple: to help us think like econo... more The goal of Reasonably Simple Economics is, not surprisingly, simple: to help us think like economists. When we do, so much of the world that seemed mysterious or baffling becomes more clear and understandable-improving our lives and providing new tools to succeed in business and career. In a chatty style, economist Evan Osborne explains the economic foundations behind the things we read about or see in the news everyday: Why prices for goods andservices are what they are How government spending,regulation, and taxation can both hinder andhelp the economy Why and how some people get fabulously rich How entrepreneurs reorganize society beneficially Why markets sometimes failand when or if governments should intervene when they do How economics and statistics can explain such things as discrimination in hiring and providing services(and whydiscriminators are shooting themselves in the foot), why we\u27re smarterthan we\u27ve ever been, and how technology makes the idea of Earth\u27s\u27carrying capacity\u27 meaningless Along the way, you will learn the basic concepts of economics that well-educated citizens in democratic countries should know, like scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, all the different ways economies are managed, and more. In the manner of The Armchair Economist, The Undercover Economist, or Naked Economics, Osborne uses current examples to illustrate the principles that underlie tragedies like the Greek economy or the global market meltdown of 2008, and triumphs like the continuing dominance of Silicon Valley in the tech world or why New York City markets are stuffed with goods despite the difficulty in getting them there. As Osborne points out, the future, in economic terms, has always been better than the past, and he shows you how to use that knowledge to improve your life both intellectually and materiallyhttps://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/books/1119/thumbnail.jp
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Mar 1, 1996
Area development and policy, May 3, 2017
ABSTRACT The economic performance of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South... more ABSTRACT The economic performance of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – has attracted international attention in recent years as their international status has grown. This paper looks beyond broad macroeconomic performance and investigates the distributional effects of growth. It suggests that overall economic growth has coincided with significant poverty reduction, but challenges remain.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress
The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The cre... more The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The creation in Europe of the printing press changed that and made expression a threat to long-standing social institutions. The nature of the new technology made it impossible to fully control the flow of books, pamphlets, and other printed material, but European governments tried. The argument in favor of a free press ultimately emerged, and the practice itself was institutionalized, mostly in Great Britain and northwestern Europe. The chapter emphasizes the self-regulating argument for free communication, that ideas beyond science would be improved if they must be subject to readers’ scrutiny. Particular attention is paid to Milton, Struensee and John Stuart Mill. The arguments made in favor of the broad protection of freedom of speech that prevail in much of the world are shown to have significant self-regulating components.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress, 2018
There is good reason to be skeptical of the assumption that political regulation operates with th... more There is good reason to be skeptical of the assumption that political regulation operates with the public interest in mind. Scientific productivity has continued to advance in the past half-century, as has the value and quantity of human expression. The argument in favor of socioeconomic self-regulation is identical to that for the other two systems. Yet recent scholarship suggests declining rates of economic growth in the wealthiest countries most subject to increasing political regulation during this period, while greater reliance on self-regulating economic forces has resulted in dramatic improvement of socioeconomies in the developing world. As political regulation of human expression has declined, literary, artistic, and philosophical achievement have expanded. Guidance is offered for how people should understand social change in their role as citizens and how they should conduct themselves in a world full of short-term instability but tremendous long-term progress.
Rivalries are a key aspect of sports, but one with few counterparts elsewhere in economic theory.... more Rivalries are a key aspect of sports, but one with few counterparts elsewhere in economic theory. In this paper rivalries are modeled as a habitual good, and complementary in fan utility with other trade between residents of team locations. Some implications for optimal team investment in rivalry capital, for league investment in competitive balance, and for the fundamental differences between rivalries in team and individual sports are derived.Rivalry, rivalries, team sports
Self-Regulation and Human Progress
Almost as long there has been a human species, we have formed societies based on the principle of... more Almost as long there has been a human species, we have formed societies based on the principle of political regulation. There is a small cadre of leaders often assumed to have the right to order the lives of other members of society, supported by a current monopoly of armaments. While not universal, this pattern has been the norm since the agricultural revolution. In particular, it is argued that the idea of continuous social improvement was hardly known in ancient civilizations. Only in the late Renaissance did a pattern of thought evolve that indicated that it is better to see the pattern and outcomes of human social systems as progressing, with such systems capable under certain circumstances of regulating themselves to better effect than outsiders could hope to regulate them.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress
This chapter uses the new Google nGrams database to track the rise and fall of different English-... more This chapter uses the new Google nGrams database to track the rise and fall of different English-language phrases in order to illustrate the corresponding rise and fall in confidence in self-regulation. After briefly introducing evidence on the rise in the extent of political regulation over the last century or so, documentation is presented on the parallel rise in skepticism of the self-regulating socioeconomy and self-regulating science generally, and in skepticism of the cognitive capacity of individuals to make socially productive choices in particular.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress, 2018
Here the analysis turns to questioning the very premises that underlie the virtues of self-regula... more Here the analysis turns to questioning the very premises that underlie the virtues of self-regulating social systems. Macro-objections agree that individuals cannot be assumed to be able to do what is best. It is the job of political regulators to take over and facilitate the development of society. Marxist theory in particular viewed history as unfolding inevitably, and so appalling cruelties were inflicted by Marxist governments to steer the revolution forward. The eugenics revolution categorized entire groups of people as genetically inferior, frequently because of their ethnicity. Politics was used in various countries to improve society by reducing births among inferior types. Micro-objections to self-regulation described individuals as incapable of being incented to choose what self-regulation requires. In either case, it is the essential task of political regulators to replace, if not destroy, the outcomes of the choices made under self-regulation.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress, 2018
The later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed arguments from social reformers and ... more The later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed arguments from social reformers and artists and economists that the new, spontaneously evolving society was deficient. It worsened poverty, and it impoverished the soul. The tool of political regulation, exercised in the growing political power of the emerging organization known as the nation, was called in to polish the rough edges of the self-regulating society. As time went on, political regulation gradually came to be seen as the default, and self-regulation needed to be justified. The chapter particularly emphasizes the growth in such thinking among socialists and progressives in the United States and Western Europe. The catastrophe of the Great Depression, combined with admiration for a Soviet Union, Italy, and Germany, where political regulators said they were rationally designing a better society, meant that by the onset of World War II, this presumption was firmly in place throughout the West.
It has probably never occurred to you to think about it, but the man who invented the snowblower ... more It has probably never occurred to you to think about it, but the man who invented the snowblower is responsible for saving at least hundreds of lives.
Stanford University Press eBooks, Jan 23, 2018
The Hungarian government has recently been focusing on innovation policy as part of a wider campa... more The Hungarian government has recently been focusing on innovation policy as part of a wider campaign to improve the business environment. This paper first underscores the importance of a good general business climate in encouraging both formal and informal R&D activity as well as ensuring Hungary benefits from the international diffusion of innovation. In examining specific innovation policies, the new National Innovation System is described and an assessment is made of the National Innovation Fund and the Innovation Contribution used to fund it. Assessment of changes in R&D tax allowances and in the strategy for giving out grants for research is also made. The paper also looks at regulatory reform to improve industry-science links, including the government's recent legislative changes that make it easier for universities to set up spin-off companies. The final section considers what further reforms are needed to help tertiary and compulsory education become more conducive to innovation and to encourage the deepening of human capital in general.
Stanford University Press eBooks, Jan 23, 2018
<p>Beginning in the 1600s, primarily in Britain, the Dutch Territories, and France, people ... more <p>Beginning in the 1600s, primarily in Britain, the Dutch Territories, and France, people not only tried to think about how the world worked (a pattern of thought as old as human civilization); they also agreed that there was much that was yet unknown and collectively built procedures for how to know more. The construction of the system for defining such knowledge and evaluating claims to be adding to it has been a gradual evolution that continues to this day. Among the landmark events discussed are the development of the ideas of hypotheses, the experimental method, free competition among scientific ideas, the use of the (growing number of) mathematical tools to arbitrate scientific claims, the development of modern research universities, the establishment and improvement of the peer review system, and the more recent addition of techniques beyond traditional scientific experiments as ways of supporting or falsifying scientific claims.</p>
Apress eBooks, 2013
In America, you look at the mansion on the hill and think, “One day that will be me.” In Ireland,... more In America, you look at the mansion on the hill and think, “One day that will be me.” In Ireland, people say, “One day, I’m going to get that bastard.”
China Finance and Economic Review, Mar 13, 2016
Background: China's rapid economic transformation is similar in some ways to those that have occu... more Background: China's rapid economic transformation is similar in some ways to those that have occurred in other rapidly developing nations. Is the pattern in China the same? Methods: Crosscountry macrodata are used to compare class self-identification transition in China with other similar countries. Survey microdata from two sources are used to test the comparative pattern to test the determinants of such identification in both China and around the world. Results: The changing structure of self-identification that occurs in many rapidly growing economies are found to be absent in China. In fact, as China has continued to grow, such change as has occured is found to be downward, despite the immense material improvement there. Objective data on income distribution in China do not explain this phenomenon, but distinct features of China's urban real estate market might.
Stanford University Press eBooks, Jan 23, 2018
The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The cre... more The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The creation in Europe of the printing press changed that and made expression a threat to long-standing social institutions. The nature of the new technology made it impossible to fully control the flow of books, pamphlets, and other printed material, but European governments tried. The argument in favor of a free press ultimately emerged, and the practice itself was institutionalized, mostly in Great Britain and northwestern Europe. The chapter emphasizes the self-regulating argument for free communication, that ideas beyond science would be improved if they must be subject to readers’ scrutiny. Particular attention is paid to Milton, Struensee and John Stuart Mill. The arguments made in favor of the broad protection of freedom of speech that prevail in much of the world are shown to have significant self-regulating components.
The goal of Reasonably Simple Economics is, not surprisingly, simple: to help us think like econo... more The goal of Reasonably Simple Economics is, not surprisingly, simple: to help us think like economists. When we do, so much of the world that seemed mysterious or baffling becomes more clear and understandable-improving our lives and providing new tools to succeed in business and career. In a chatty style, economist Evan Osborne explains the economic foundations behind the things we read about or see in the news everyday: Why prices for goods andservices are what they are How government spending,regulation, and taxation can both hinder andhelp the economy Why and how some people get fabulously rich How entrepreneurs reorganize society beneficially Why markets sometimes failand when or if governments should intervene when they do How economics and statistics can explain such things as discrimination in hiring and providing services(and whydiscriminators are shooting themselves in the foot), why we\u27re smarterthan we\u27ve ever been, and how technology makes the idea of Earth\u27s\u27carrying capacity\u27 meaningless Along the way, you will learn the basic concepts of economics that well-educated citizens in democratic countries should know, like scarcity, opportunity cost, supply and demand, all the different ways economies are managed, and more. In the manner of The Armchair Economist, The Undercover Economist, or Naked Economics, Osborne uses current examples to illustrate the principles that underlie tragedies like the Greek economy or the global market meltdown of 2008, and triumphs like the continuing dominance of Silicon Valley in the tech world or why New York City markets are stuffed with goods despite the difficulty in getting them there. As Osborne points out, the future, in economic terms, has always been better than the past, and he shows you how to use that knowledge to improve your life both intellectually and materiallyhttps://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/books/1119/thumbnail.jp
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Mar 1, 1996
Area development and policy, May 3, 2017
ABSTRACT The economic performance of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South... more ABSTRACT The economic performance of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – has attracted international attention in recent years as their international status has grown. This paper looks beyond broad macroeconomic performance and investigates the distributional effects of growth. It suggests that overall economic growth has coincided with significant poverty reduction, but challenges remain.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress
The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The cre... more The question of how much free expression to tolerate hardly came up until the modern era. The creation in Europe of the printing press changed that and made expression a threat to long-standing social institutions. The nature of the new technology made it impossible to fully control the flow of books, pamphlets, and other printed material, but European governments tried. The argument in favor of a free press ultimately emerged, and the practice itself was institutionalized, mostly in Great Britain and northwestern Europe. The chapter emphasizes the self-regulating argument for free communication, that ideas beyond science would be improved if they must be subject to readers’ scrutiny. Particular attention is paid to Milton, Struensee and John Stuart Mill. The arguments made in favor of the broad protection of freedom of speech that prevail in much of the world are shown to have significant self-regulating components.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress, 2018
There is good reason to be skeptical of the assumption that political regulation operates with th... more There is good reason to be skeptical of the assumption that political regulation operates with the public interest in mind. Scientific productivity has continued to advance in the past half-century, as has the value and quantity of human expression. The argument in favor of socioeconomic self-regulation is identical to that for the other two systems. Yet recent scholarship suggests declining rates of economic growth in the wealthiest countries most subject to increasing political regulation during this period, while greater reliance on self-regulating economic forces has resulted in dramatic improvement of socioeconomies in the developing world. As political regulation of human expression has declined, literary, artistic, and philosophical achievement have expanded. Guidance is offered for how people should understand social change in their role as citizens and how they should conduct themselves in a world full of short-term instability but tremendous long-term progress.
Rivalries are a key aspect of sports, but one with few counterparts elsewhere in economic theory.... more Rivalries are a key aspect of sports, but one with few counterparts elsewhere in economic theory. In this paper rivalries are modeled as a habitual good, and complementary in fan utility with other trade between residents of team locations. Some implications for optimal team investment in rivalry capital, for league investment in competitive balance, and for the fundamental differences between rivalries in team and individual sports are derived.Rivalry, rivalries, team sports
Self-Regulation and Human Progress
Almost as long there has been a human species, we have formed societies based on the principle of... more Almost as long there has been a human species, we have formed societies based on the principle of political regulation. There is a small cadre of leaders often assumed to have the right to order the lives of other members of society, supported by a current monopoly of armaments. While not universal, this pattern has been the norm since the agricultural revolution. In particular, it is argued that the idea of continuous social improvement was hardly known in ancient civilizations. Only in the late Renaissance did a pattern of thought evolve that indicated that it is better to see the pattern and outcomes of human social systems as progressing, with such systems capable under certain circumstances of regulating themselves to better effect than outsiders could hope to regulate them.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress
This chapter uses the new Google nGrams database to track the rise and fall of different English-... more This chapter uses the new Google nGrams database to track the rise and fall of different English-language phrases in order to illustrate the corresponding rise and fall in confidence in self-regulation. After briefly introducing evidence on the rise in the extent of political regulation over the last century or so, documentation is presented on the parallel rise in skepticism of the self-regulating socioeconomy and self-regulating science generally, and in skepticism of the cognitive capacity of individuals to make socially productive choices in particular.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress, 2018
Here the analysis turns to questioning the very premises that underlie the virtues of self-regula... more Here the analysis turns to questioning the very premises that underlie the virtues of self-regulating social systems. Macro-objections agree that individuals cannot be assumed to be able to do what is best. It is the job of political regulators to take over and facilitate the development of society. Marxist theory in particular viewed history as unfolding inevitably, and so appalling cruelties were inflicted by Marxist governments to steer the revolution forward. The eugenics revolution categorized entire groups of people as genetically inferior, frequently because of their ethnicity. Politics was used in various countries to improve society by reducing births among inferior types. Micro-objections to self-regulation described individuals as incapable of being incented to choose what self-regulation requires. In either case, it is the essential task of political regulators to replace, if not destroy, the outcomes of the choices made under self-regulation.
Self-Regulation and Human Progress, 2018
The later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed arguments from social reformers and ... more The later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed arguments from social reformers and artists and economists that the new, spontaneously evolving society was deficient. It worsened poverty, and it impoverished the soul. The tool of political regulation, exercised in the growing political power of the emerging organization known as the nation, was called in to polish the rough edges of the self-regulating society. As time went on, political regulation gradually came to be seen as the default, and self-regulation needed to be justified. The chapter particularly emphasizes the growth in such thinking among socialists and progressives in the United States and Western Europe. The catastrophe of the Great Depression, combined with admiration for a Soviet Union, Italy, and Germany, where political regulators said they were rationally designing a better society, meant that by the onset of World War II, this presumption was firmly in place throughout the West.
「現代化理論」深入地對現代化進程的來源（包括人們的價值觀）進行分析，並強調社會價值觀在現代化成敗中所扮演的重要角色。本文在《世界價值觀調查》的基礎上，針對中國民眾對有關現代化進程問題所持的態度進... more 「現代化理論」深入地對現代化進程的來源（包括人們的價值觀）進行分析，並強調社會價值觀在現代化成敗中所扮演的重要角色。本文在《世界價值觀調查》的基礎上，針對中國民眾對有關現代化進程問題所持的態度進行了分析。儘管國內外不少分析人士對中國現代化的可能性仍持悲觀態度，但本文的研究結果表明，除了個別方面，中國人的觀念與現代化所需的條件大體一致，而且這一觀念並不局限於中國新興的中產階級。
“Modernization theory” has extensively discussed the sources of modernization, one of which is said to be a people’s value system. This article uses the World Values Survey to analyze Chinese attitudes on questions relevant to modernization. Despite much pessimistic commentary both inside and outside of China on whether or not Chinese possess the necessary outlook to thoroughly modernize, the primary finding of this article is that, with a few exceptions, they do. This perspective is also not limited to China's emerging middle class.
The arrival in China of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations was a jarring event there. The genera... more The arrival in China of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations was a jarring event there. The general idea of political economy as a systematic field of knowledge, let alone the ideas contained therein, was hardly known among the intellectuals and ruling classes of China. The attempts to place its insights in the framework of the prevalent thinking in China reveals a large evolution, from the key to Western power to an intermediate step on the way to the Marxist perfection of political economy to, recently, the foundation of economic science. Several concepts that were obscure at the beginning were clarified over time, even as Smith’s work has been seen throughout by most who comment on it as the single most important idea in the history of economic thinking.
「現代化理論」深入地對現代化進程的來源（包括人們的價值觀）進行分析，並強調社會價值觀在現代化成敗中所扮演的重要角色。本文在《世界價值觀調查》的基礎上，針對中國民眾對有關現代化進程問題所持的態度進... more 「現代化理論」深入地對現代化進程的來源（包括人們的價值觀）進行分析，並強調社會價值觀在現代化成敗中所扮演的重要角色。本文在《世界價值觀調查》的基礎上，針對中國民眾對有關現代化進程問題所持的態度進行了分析。儘管國內外不少分析人士對中國現代化的可能性仍持悲觀態度，但本文的研究結果表明，除了個別方面，中國人的觀念與現代化所需的條件大體一致，而且這一觀念並不局限於中國新興的中產階級。
“Modernization theory” has extensively discussed the sources of modernization, one of which is said to be a people’s value system. This article uses the World Values Survey to analyze Chinese attitudes on questions relevant to modernization. Despite much pessimistic commentary both inside and outside of China on whether or not Chinese possess the necessary outlook to thoroughly modernize, the primary finding of this article is that, with a few exceptions, they do. This perspective is also not limited to China's emerging middle class.
Modernization theory" has extensively discussed the sources of modernization, one of which is sai... more Modernization theory" has extensively discussed the sources of modernization, one of which is said to be a people's value system. This article uses the World Values Survey to analyze Chinese attitudes on questions relevant to modernization. Despite much pessimistic commentary both inside and outside of China on whether or not Chinese possess the necessary outlook, the primary finding of this article is that, with a few exceptions, they do. This perspective is also not limited to China's emerging middle class.
Modernization theory" has extensively discussed the sources of modernization, a primary component... more Modernization theory" has extensively discussed the sources of modernization, a primary component of which is said to be a people's value system. This article uses the World Values Survey to analyze Chinese attitudes on questions relevant to modernization. Despite much pessimistic commentary both inside and outside of China on whether or not Chinese possess the necessary outlook, the primary finding of this article is that, with the exception of issues of sex discrimination and prejudice, they do.