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Tyler Cowen
For Tyler Cowen's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Economists often struggle to predict business downturns and different economic theories may apply in different situations.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 27, 2023
What economists got wrong about the Great Recession
Macroeconomics faces challenges and limitations in predicting and understanding economic events.
A new study challenges conventional wisdom on income inequality and questions if the top 1% are really pulling away.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2023
America’s top 1% don’t make as much as you might think
A new study challenges conventional wisdom on income inequality and questions if the top 1% are really pulling away.
Sam Altman, then-CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO summit in San Francisco on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 20, 2023
The AI safety debate after OpenAI CEO's ouster
It's important to align technology with human interests as AI systems are more likely to lower than raise existential risks.
More and more children are producing content as online influencers and generating lots of money.
COMMENTARY
Oct 31, 2023
Kidfluencers are today’s version of chimney sweeps
Protecting children from labor exploitation is difficult in the age of social media.
The XL bully dog is different than a normal pet. It is a symbol of fear, aggression and its muscular body and fierce countenance reflects this.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 20, 2023
Some kinds of dogs shouldn’t be allowed as pets
The case is weaker for a ban on bully dogs in the U.S. because population density is much lower and Americans seem to have a higher risk tolerance.
Over the last decade, the attention given to falling income and wealth inequality has been tiny, creating a view of the issue that may be seriously out of date.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2023
We should concentrate on fighting poverty, not income inequality
Wealth inequality has recently gone down in the U.S. and the West, and the decline has been going on for the better part of the last decade.
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown takes a shot against the Miami Heat in the third quarter during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami on May 23.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2023
Could Saudi money be coming to the NBA, too?
Jaylen Brown just signed the richest contract in the league’s history, but there’ll probably be an ever bigger deal before long.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2023
Would you let Elon Musk implant a device in your brain?
Elon Musk's Neuralink brain implant will be life-changing for some, but it’s hard to see how it will transform society.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2023
AI is improving faster than most humans realize
Technologies such as ChatGPT will profoundly change the economy and other aspects of life, but they are getting better so quickly that it’s impossible to say how.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2022
AI can make crypto safer for everyone
Artificial intelligence can make cryptocurrencies easier to use without the need for intermediaries that people may not trust.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 28, 2022
Get ready to relearn how to use the internet
Everyone knows that an AI revolution is coming, but no one seems to realize how profoundly it will change their day-to-day life.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 7, 2022
U.S. higher education is about to get even more political
Critics of the U.S. President Joe Biden's college loan-forgiveness program see it as rewarding Democratic interests, so Republicans may retaliate at their first opportunity.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 30, 2022
Stop calling everything you disagree with ‘anti-democratic’
Democracy itself is not to blame for every wrongheaded or misguided decision made by a freely elected government.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2022
What if India and Pakistan actually got along?
Full reunification is difficult to imagine, but there are many possible arrangements that fall short of that.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2022
If AI ever becomes sentient, it will let us know
What we humans say or think isn't necessarily the last word on artificial intelligence.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2022
Should the U.S. have a monarchy?
A U.S. monarchy is a terrible idea, but the very question says a lot about the current state of thinking on the American right.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2022
In the Spotify saga, there are no real heroes
Some see both Neil Young and Joe Rogan as heroes for taking a stand; yet their records in these areas are far from pristine.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 29, 2021
America would be much happier with more people
Even measured in absolute terms, the increase in U.S. population growth was smaller than during the confluence of World War I and the Spanish flu pandemic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2021
Of course stereotypes are holding women back
Workplace discrimination has been a feature of virtually all of world history, so nobody should be shocked by evidence that it continues today.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 22, 2021
Milton Friedman is more relevant than ever
There are periodic attempts to knock Milton Friedman off his pedestal. For the most part, however, his legacy remains strong.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?