Not much detail, as the paper that makes the claim is only available at present to American Economic Association members; but in Did Austerity Cause Brexit? University of Warwick economist Thiemo Fetzer asserts that he found a "significant association between the exposure of an individual or area to the UK government's austerity-induced welfare reforms begun in 2010, and the following: the subsequent rise in support for the UK Independence Party, an important correlate of Leave support in the 2016 UK referendum on European Union membership; broader individual-level measures of political dissatisfaction; and direct measures of support for Leave. Leveraging data from all UK electoral contests since 2000, along with detailed, individual-level panel data, the findings suggest that the EU referendum could have resulted in a Remain victory had it not been for austerity." (Image: Peter Damian, CC-BY-SA) (via Marginal Revolution)
Cutbacks caused Brexit: austerity correlates with UKIP membership
Fatal car wrecks are correlated with stock-market fluctuations
Writing in The Journal of Health Economics, three economists claim (Sci Hub mirror) that "a one standard deviation reduction in daily stock market returns is associated with a 0.6% increase in fatal car accidents that happen after the stock market opening" and that this is robust across "a battery of falsification tests." READ THE REST
The 1970s called and they want their proto-McMansions back!
The latest installment of the always-delightful McMansion Hell (previously) departs from the usual format of mercilessly skewering the tasteless custom homes of the contemporary super-rich and instead delves into their historic precedent, the 1970s-vintage "proto-McMansion," AKA the "Styled Ranch." READ THE REST
You will be helped! Research using real-world situations fails to replicate the "bystander effect"
For decades, the "bystander effect" (previously) has been a bedrock of received psychological wisdom: "individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present; the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help." READ THE REST
This 3-piece extra large cast iron cookware set is on sale for just $70
If you're anything like millions of Americans, staying at home these past several months has been followed by a steadily increased diet of cooking shows. It's really not hard to understand why. If you can't go out to restaurants the same way right now, why not bring those delicious meals to you? The next logical… READ THE REST
This coder bootcamp can get you up to speed on 6 key programming skills in 60 minutes each
Training packages are available everywhere. And since everyone wants to know how to code, there are literally hundreds of different courses, lectures, and training sessions that can help teach you the building blocks of this foundational ability. However, most of us aren't very patient. We want the facts we need to know, we want them… READ THE REST
If you want your boost your memory, try this course
Your brain is a wondrous creation. Even when you're destroying it with Cheetos and hour after hour of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, it's still the most powerful computer you will ever own. According to Northwestern University psychology professor Paul Reber, each human brain has the capacity to store up to 2.5 petabytes of data.… READ THE REST
