The 5 Best Economics Blogs

The news buzz today was all about the passage (or possible lack thereof) of the stimulus package. Martin Feldstein, a conservative economist (and Harvard professor), actually agrees that economic stimulus is indeed necessary. However, he found multiple problems with the particulars of this bill. I heard a report on NPR on my way home today that indicated that many Republicans are unhappy with a lack of bipartisan negotiation with regard to the bill. I think a lot of Republicans honestly like Obama (at the very least they pay him lip service), but do not like the way this bill was written. Feldstein ended up saying that passing this bill would be an “$800 billion mistake.”

Of course, Feldstein is but one (albeit educated) voice in a sea of opinions. The question becomes, for people like me, where do I get worthwhile information that I can use to form a sound opinion? I think the answer lies in the blogosphere. There are lots of fantastic econ blogs out there. In my experience, I’ve found most blogs on the subject of economics to be short on bells and whistles but long on good content and analysis. For obvious reasons, many economics blogs are kept by academics and professors. These educated chaps know their stuff, but the reading can get kind of dry out there from time to time. Because of this, I’ve compiled a short list of blogs that might interest your average Joe (or Jane). This list consists of the “big time” blogs. I’ll do a follow up list at a later date with some smaller, lesser known, more individual blogs. Here you go:

Freakonomics Blog – This blog was inspired by the hit book, Freakonomics. The NY Times liked it so much, they decided to give the authors of the book, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt, a forum to continue pointing out the intersection between economics and all the little funny things in life that catch Levitt’s attention. He’s a brilliant guy, and he’s done statistical studies on all kinds of things you probably hadn’t considered. Don’t expect to find an analysis of whether or not the current bill will stimulate the economy on this site, but be ready for a bevy of interesting articles and tidbits, with recent titles such as Do Uncommon Names Turn Kids Into Criminals? Lots of food for thought here, with the data to back it up. If you don’t already read it, check it out.
The Becker-Posner Blog - The writers of this blog are economic and academic giants – Gary Becker, who wrote the seminal work on crime and economics (and inspired my R&W in law school), and Richard Posner, a judge of the 8th Circuit and arguably one of the greatest legal minds of our time. This is a great place to go to hear two brilliant workings who really understand economic theory discuss bailouts and stimulus packages. Good stuff.
The Undercover Economist Blog - I guess you would call this the British equivalent of the NY Times Freakonomics blog. Harford wrote a great book called The Undercover Economist that I read sometime after Freakonomics. It wasn’t quite as big (read – popular) of a book, but it was a great read nonetheless. The blog is part of the Financial Times website. He answers general ”Dear Economist” letters from the perspective of, you guessed it, an economist. Very cool blog, check it out.
Free Exchange - Maybe you think it’s kind of weak to go with these big publication blogs. Regardless, this one’s pretty good, too. The Economist is a great magazine for all things economics.
RGE Monitor – Nouriel Roubini has been in the news a lot in recent months. I don’t know what his latest prediction is…probably something bad. He’s a well known NYU professor who seems to like the limelight. Check out his blog.

There are hundreds (or more) of economics-centric blogs. Let me know if you have a good one or know of one I should be reading. We’ll try to stay informed together. Thanks for reading.