Interesting blog bits

1. John Cochrane on Taylor's "First Principles".
   

   Cochrane reviews John Taylor's new book First Principles: Five Keys to Restoring America's Prosperity.

2. Winton Bates asks Do libertarians have a problem with empathy and disgust?
   

   It seems to me that a high value should be placed on liberty because it enables people with different values to live in peace and to pursue their individual objectives in ways that are compatible and even mutually beneficial. This doesn’t make liberty the only ethical value that matters. It does mean, however, that the onus should rest squarely with those who seek to restrict liberty to show that this will result in net benefits in terms of human flourishing.

3. Not PC on Bring back capital controls? It’s already happening!
   

   You may have noticed in recent months a growing chorus of economic morons, from Jane Kelsey to Bernard Hickey to NZ Manufacturers and Exporters Association CEO John Walley, calling for the imposition of capital controls—or to put it in real English, for the government to put bans, restrictions and prohibitions on the use, storage and movement of your money and valuables.

4. Eamonn Butler says Happy birthday, Adam Smith
   

   It's Adam Smith's birthday. Well, sort of. His birth was registered at the church in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, on 5 June 1723. So he was probably born around 3 June 1723. But in 1872 the calendar changed and a few days were added, so that works out to 14 June, which is the day we celebrate it here at the Adam Smith Institute.

5. Eric Crampton on Exam security

   Canterbury takes its invigilated exams pretty seriously.

6. Klaus Desmet, Ejaz Ghani, Stephen D O'Connell and Esteban Rossi-Hansberg on Spatial disparities in India: Have Mumbai and Chennai become too congested?

   Will India’s rapid growth in the services sector lead to overcrowding of its cities? This column compares India’s experience to that of other countries.

7. Lynne Kiesling on Frontiers in dynamic pricing: spot advertising auctions

   According to this Ars Technica story (and a linked Bloomberg article), Facebook is going to offer a new advertising model to its potential advertisers: a spot auction for real-time ads based on changes in current events or time-sensitive things like sporting event results.