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Getting rid of Chevron? Be Careful What you Wish For

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While unlikely to draw the level of attention given to abortion rights, the Affordable Care Act, and affirmative action, the status of the “Chevron doctrine” is, to many, a crucial consideration for and against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. The Chevron doctrine gives regulatory agencies substantial discretion to decide what they can do under the laws that define their authority. The most recent Supreme Court appointee, Justice Neil Gorsuch, opposes Chevron. The doctrine is central to those concerned with what they view as the […]

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The Promises and Politics of Blockchain Technologies: Research Roundup July 2018

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*The Research Roundup is a semi-regular list of outside research we have found interesting and think is worth sharing. The views and conclusions of the papers’ authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone affiliated with TPI.* While we are partial to the work on blockchain by TPI’s own Sarah Oh and Scott Wallsten, “Is Blockchain Hype, Revolutionary, or Both?” and commend it to everyone, it is but part of a fascinating, growing literature. In this month’s Research Roundup we survey some of the newest and most interesting work on […]

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“Laura Martin on Netflix, Content Creation, and Creative Talent” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast Transcript Episode 011: “Laura Martin on Netflix, Content Creation, and Creative Talent” Recorded on: July 17, 2018 Scott:  On today’s Two Think Minimum, we sat down with Wall Street analyst, and TPI board member, Laura Martin, to talk about the changing media landscape. As it turned out, we had only about 15 minutes, which we used talking about Netflix. Still, given that Netflix had announced its earnings only the day previously, the conversation was interesting and illuminating. So enjoy this relatively short episode of Two Think […]

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Applying Machine Learning Tools on Web Vacancies for Labour Market and Skill Analysis – Economic and Policy Implications of AI, Blog Post #5

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The following is a summary of Applying Machine Learning Tools on Web Vacancies for Labour Market and Skill Analysis by Emilio Colombo, Fabio Mercorio, and Mario Mezzanzanica. This paper was presented at the Technology Policy Institute Conference on The Economics and Policy Implications of Artificial Intelligence, February 22, 2018.   Advances in artificial intelligence have brought concerns about what people are generally calling “the future of work.” That is, some worry that even if AI and automation increase efficiency and productivity, they may also change labor markets more quickly than people […]

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Europe Strikes Again

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Antitrust enforcement is supposed to protect competition in order to benefit consumers.  By that criterion, the European Commission’s decision against Google’s Android operating system fails miserably.  By proscribing pro-competitive business practices, the Commission’s decision will harm consumers. The Commission claims its decision does not question Android’s open source model, but in reality it relies crucially on Google being the only company to offer a popular open source operating system. The Commission rejects the iPhone as a competitor because Apple’s operating system is proprietary. This strained logic implies the Commission would […]

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“Ina Fried, Axios, and Tech Journalism Today” (Two Think Minimum Podcast)

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Two Think Minimum Podcast Transcript Episode 010: “Ina Fried, Axios, and Tech Journalism Today” Recorded on: July 13, 2018 Sarah: Welcome back to TPI’s Podcast, Two Think Minimum. It’s Friday, July 13, 2018, and I’m Sarah Oh, Research Fellow at the Technology Policy Institute. Today we’re excited to talk with Ina Fried of Axios, a tech journalist who covers telecom policy. Ina writes the daily newsletter for Axios that many of our listeners may read each morning. According to her twitter account, she is Chief Technology Correspondent for Axios and […]

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Cloud Computing: Co-Invention for the Masses

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Cloud computing is a big and growing business. Revenue estimates for 2017 range from just under $150 billion to about $180 billion. In some respects, cloud computing is simply an incremental improvement over traditional client/server computing. Users work at terminals that are typically personal computers, while the processing and storage are located elsewhere. In other respects, however, cloud is a monumental shift in computing. Unlike traditional c/s computing, where access is specialized and available only within a given organization, anybody with access to a broadband connection can access some of […]

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Can Artificial Intelligence Help Reduce Human Medical Errors? – Economic and Policy Implications of AI, Blog Post #4

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The following is a summary of Can Artificial Intelligence Help Reduce Human Medical Errors? Two Examples from ICUs in the U.S. and Peru by Miguel Paredes. This paper was presented at the Technology Policy Institute Conference on The Economics and Policy Implications of Artificial Intelligence, February 22, 2018.   Medical errors are prevalent and costly. A 2005 study found 133.3 errors per 1,000 hospitalizations in the United States, costing society tens of billions of dollars. Artificial intelligence, Paredes posits, could help reduce the number and severity of errors by adding large-scale […]

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Adaptive Trees: A Novel Approach to Macroeconomic Forecasting – Economic and Policy Implications of AI, Blog Post #5

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The following is a summary of Adaptive Trees: A Novel Approach to Macroeconomic Forecasting by Nicolas Woloszko. This paper was presented at the Technology Policy Institute Conference on The Economics and Policy Implications of Artificial Intelligence, February 22, 2018.   Machine learning is all about making better predictions. In Adaptive Trees, Nicolas Woloszko explores how we might improve our national accounts data by applying machine learning techniques to macroeconomic forecasting.   Woloszko notes that the econometric techniques that are the basis of most forecasting models focus on in-sample accuracy, fitting a model […]

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IoT, Innovation, and the Impact of Infrastructure Developments: Research Roundup, June 2018

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*The Research Roundup is a semi-regular list of outside research we have found interesting and think is worth sharing. The views and conclusions of the papers’ authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of anyone affiliated with TPI.*   The articles detailed in this month’s Research Roundup touch on the relationship between broadband infrastructure and economic growth, the increasing role of artificial intelligence in the global economy, and the need to balance convenience, security, and moral principles in Internet of Things (IoT) applications. In their piece titled Ethical Design in the […]

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