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

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