tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post1943534450528174950..comments2024-03-28T09:22:36.967+13:00Comments on Offsetting Behaviour: Path DependenceEric Cramptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-26578740309909904252011-03-31T20:54:34.790+13:002011-03-31T20:54:34.790+13:00@Cameron: I'm not sure what other entity could...@Cameron: I'm not sure what other entity could coordinate a change from one side of the road to the other; anybody else trying it would be arrested.<br /><br />I don't know about the Aussie case, but at least in NZ, the legacy of rail subsidy / subsidy through punitive regulation on trucking has left us with a too-extensive rail network. A few lines are viable; lots of others should be shut down. Road user charges and petrol taxes largely cover roading costs, barring a few boondoggles like Auckland proposed tunnels.Eric Cramptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-91928170376718181742011-03-31T17:41:08.454+13:002011-03-31T17:41:08.454+13:00What about driving on a different side of the road...What about driving on a different side of the road to neighbouring countries? It seems that many countries have overcome this lock-in with government coordinated effort (your policy option 2).<br /><br />I also feel that network services are like that - eg, electricity standards, and competition between rail and roads (where a history of road subsidies has made the road network more competitive for haulage than rail, even though there may be long term benefits from a coordinated shift in investment to rail).<br /><br />More here http://ckmurray.blogspot.com/2009/05/can-governments-be-more-innovative-than.htmlCameron Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737859133901303110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-66857585374349977642011-03-31T14:09:33.644+13:002011-03-31T14:09:33.644+13:00@James: LaTex makes things look like science. I...@James: LaTex <a href="http://offsettingbehaviour.blogspot.com/2010/03/sciency.html" rel="nofollow">makes things look like science</a>. I'd say more signalling than path dependence.Eric Cramptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-50046579352536878732011-03-31T13:16:39.567+13:002011-03-31T13:16:39.567+13:00I'm currently learning to use Latex. As far as...I'm currently learning to use Latex. As far as I can tell, there is very little that Latex can do that the current version of Microsoft Word (with a few add-ins like Mathtype) can't do. My higher-ups tell me that there's a wee bit of snobbery going on with the ubiquity of Latex use, and it's likely that journal-article submissions in Word could get rejected for not having been delivered in Latex.<br /><br />I've also been told that Word has previously had nothing on Latex, and it's only recently that Microsoft upped its game. Maybe good-enough versions of Word (and other programs) haven't been around long enough for this to count, but does widespread, unwavering Latex use seem like a bit of path-depdence to you?Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07995395711510222406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-81071765083752590912011-03-31T11:00:30.528+13:002011-03-31T11:00:30.528+13:00@John: I really don't know much about that cas...@John: I really don't know much about that case beyond what's in the links. I'd want to know a lot more about regulation in the Japanese power industry before saying much. On the face of it, it seems utterly absurd to have the two standards. Suppose on the other hand that a whole lot of industrial machinery is geared to either running on 50hz or 60hz. Switching costs then would be substantial.Eric Cramptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-2244066204972606372011-03-30T13:55:31.588+13:002011-03-30T13:55:31.588+13:00Eric, I'm wondering what you think about the p...Eric, I'm wondering what you think about the problem Japan is facing with blackouts. The east and west islands are on different systems (one German 50hz, the other American 60 hz). There's a bottleneck is transmitting across the systems. NPR suggests that the systems would have been reconciled years ago except for economic interests protecting monopolies.<br /><br />http://www.npr.org/2011/03/24/134828205/a-country-divided-japans-electric-bottleneck<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_frequency#History<br /><br />Wikipedia gives several examples of systems that have been reconciled over the years.John B. Chiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18208312356775869565noreply@blogger.com