Scott Alexander critiques three articles on poverty, proposing a framework to categorize poverty approaches, and reluctantly advocates for basic income as the best available solution despite its flaws. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews three articles on poverty and explains why he disagrees with all of them. He categorizes different approaches to poverty using a grid with axes of 'competitive vs cooperative' and 'tractable vs intractable'. Scott positions himself in the 'cooperative' but 'intractable' quadrant, expressing skepticism about both the exploitation narrative and the effectiveness of most anti-poverty programs. He argues that poverty is largely due to genetics and deep cultural factors that are difficult to change. Despite reservations, he reluctantly supports a basic income guarantee as the least bad solution. The post also touches on global poverty, economic growth, and open borders. Shorter summary

A diverse collection of links covering recent studies, news stories, and interesting facts, ranging from scientific research to policy debates to unusual historical events. Longer summary

A link roundup post covering various topics from scientific studies to current events. The post includes discussions about studies on bottled water bans, birth month effects on health, probiotics and social anxiety, Mexican drug cartels, intelligence studies, and climate change. It also covers interesting stories like Pakistan's transgender tax collectors, a 1910s plan to introduce hippo ranching in America, and various policy discussions around gun violence, university regulations, and economic studies. The post maintains a light tone while discussing serious topics, often adding humorous asides or interesting historical facts. Shorter summary

Scott shares and comments on various links covering science, politics, and culture, with topics ranging from automation's effect on employment to psychology's replication crisis. Longer summary

This is a collection of interesting links and brief commentaries by Scott Alexander. He covers a wide range of topics including scientific studies, current events, and cultural phenomena. Notable items include studies about employment and automation, discrimination research methodology, problems with student course evaluations, and psychology's reproducibility crisis. The post also includes quirky items like Dutch swearing customs and unusual products, maintaining Scott's characteristic mix of serious analysis and lighter observations. Shorter summary