Meanderings of an Eccentric Economist

Replication Notes: What Would It Take to Know?

How social scientists separate patterns from causes; from randomized trials to natural experiments, in plain English

Aug 19 • Tarnell Brown

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The Genetic Alibi

How Richard Hanania turns population history into an argument for conclusions the evidence has not earned

Aug 17 • Tarnell Brown

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ICE, Rents, and the Supply Side Bessent Forgot

A one-sided theory of rents meets the real housing market

Aug 9 • Tarnell Brown

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Politics Cannot Avoid Aggregates

Why “identity politics” is a poor name for the ordinary mechanics of mass representation

Aug 8 • Tarnell Brown

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June 2026

Original Sin and Opportunity Cost

What if the deepest economic problem isn’t scarcity—but time?

Jun 11 • Tarnell Brown

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May 2026

Save It for What?

Repair, Reputation, and the Temporal Costs of Institutional Failure

May 26 • Tarnell Brown

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The JetBlue – Spirit Fiasco and the Rise of Amtrak Economics

What happens when antitrust becomes stealth industrial policy: fewer low fare options, stronger incumbents, and a “public utility” airline no one voted…

May 2 • Tarnell Brown

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April 2026

Orbán Lost. The Machine Did Not

Why the fall of one strongman matters less than the political machinery that made him possible — and why the same machinery still threatens free…

Apr 13 • Tarnell Brown

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March 2026

Capitalism’s Source Code

How the State Makes Markets — and Why Cronyism Comes with the Package

Mar 29 • Tarnell Brown

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Why Institutions Keep Fighting the Last Battle

How institutional learning turns past success into present paralysis.

Mar 11 • Tarnell Brown

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Temporal Accountability and the Iran Strike

Why crisis-time incentives and historical-time consequences rarely align

Mar 1 • Tarnell Brown

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February 2026

Why Does Venmo Make Payments Public?

How social payments replaced institutional trust with visibility.

Feb 27 • Tarnell Brown