Economics professor Tyler Cowen discusses using incentives in daily life to make better decisions. Topics include parenting strategies, the economics of dentistry, favorite art museums, navigating tourist experiences in Morocco, and challenges in education and academia.
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Quick takeaways
Economic decisions should be self-aware and consider costs vs. benefits.
Balancing monetary incentives with intrinsic motivations is crucial for autonomy.
Understanding non-monetary incentives is essential for grasping human behavior.
Deep dives
Discovering Your Inner Economist
Discover Your Inner Economist by Tyler Cowen is about how we all make economic decisions daily, weighing costs and benefits. By being more self-aware, we can improve our decision-making. Economics is not just about financial matters but about matching means to ends and understanding incentives. The book emphasizes making better decisions in all aspects of life, especially as societies become wealthier.
Using Incentives Wisely
Tyler Cowen criticizes the standard textbook idea of using money as the primary incentive. Overusing monetary incentives can lead to people feeling controlled and undermining their autonomy. There are also issues with displacing intrinsic motivations and potential clashes between control and motivation. Cowen advocates for understanding the control dynamics and being strategic in deploying incentives, especially in familial contexts.
Exploring Non-Monetary Motivations
Cowen highlights the role of non-monetary motivations in various contexts, such as open-source software and charitable donations. People are often driven by a desire for affiliation with causes or communities, leading them to engage in activities without financial rewards. Understanding these non-monetary incentives is crucial for grasping human behavior and motivation beyond economic considerations.
Navigating Museums and University Education
Cowen delves into the challenges of navigating museums, revealing how they cater to donors' preferences more than visitors'. He emphasizes the importance of reshaping the museum experience for oneself to counter the overwhelming atmosphere. In university settings, similar issues arise where donor interests can overshadow educational objectives, affecting the quality of academic pursuits and the student experience.
Blogging and its Role in Academic Discourse
Blogging plays a significant role in economic education and academic discourse, particularly evident at institutions like George Mason University and Harvard. Cowen underscores the importance of blogging for sharing diverse ideas and fostering intellectual dialogue. While blogging is growing in academia, the skill of effective blogging remains challenging for many academics, emphasizing the value of expert bloggers in fostering an enriching online environment.
Tyler Cowen, of George Mason University, talks about his new book, Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist. Cowen, legendary blogger at MarginalRevolution.com, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the economics of parenting, reading, dentistry, art museums and education. Highlights include Tyler's favorite art museum and what to see there along with the challenges of being a tourist in Morocco.
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