Fabio Rojas wrote:
> > >What are the big unsolved puzzles of economic empirical research?
> > 1) Why do people live so much longer today than they used to?
>Granted technological change and increased wealth, why is this such
>a mystery?
Yes, we should expect that richer people would want to spend more to live
longer. People do spend more and they do live longer. But we have failed
to find much of a connection between the two. We live 40+ years longer, yet
improved medicine and sanitation can only seem to account for a few of those
increased years. Nutrition makes a difference, but rich folks with good
nutrition a century ago didn't live anywhere near as long as we do.
> > 2) Why are some nations rich and others poor?
>Are you claiming that we have little or no knowledge about this topic?
No, just that the topic is terribly important.
Robin Hanson [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://hanson.gmu.edu
Asst. Prof. Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
