Scott Alexander shares and discusses reader comments on his review of 'How Asia Works', covering various critiques and alternative explanations for Asian economic development. Longer summary

This post highlights comments on Scott Alexander's review of Joe Studwell's book 'How Asia Works'. Commenters discuss various aspects of the book's arguments, including land reform, industrial policy, and financial systems. They bring up counterexamples and alternative explanations for Asian economic development, such as IQ differences and the role of US support. The post also includes data on GDP growth in different Asian countries and discusses the potential for other developing countries to follow similar paths to success. Scott adds his own thoughts and analysis throughout. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews analyses of various UBI plans, finding most unrealistic, then speculates on alternative approaches to implement UBI successfully. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses various Universal Basic Income (UBI) plans analyzed by Tumblr user squareallworthy. Most plans fail due to unrealistic funding schemes or insufficient amounts to lift people out of poverty. Scott then speculates on potential UBI implementations, suggesting a targeted approach focusing on poverty elimination through increased taxes on the wealthy. He also proposes a gradual implementation strategy tied to GDP growth, starting with a small amount and increasing over time. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander summarizes and analyzes various critiques of Thomas Piketty's 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century', finding that many of Piketty's key claims don't hold up well under scrutiny. Longer summary

This post summarizes various critiques and discussions of Thomas Piketty's book 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century'. Key points include: Matt Rognlie's criticism that Piketty didn't correctly account for capital depreciation, and that recent capital-share growth comes primarily from housing. The post questions Piketty's claim about higher returns for the super-rich, with various commenters providing insights on investment strategies and market behavior. It also discusses critiques of Piketty's income distribution statistics and data interpretation. The post concludes that many of Piketty's main claims, such as the rising rentier class and much better returns for the super-rich, don't hold up well under scrutiny, though some of his rules of thumb for growth are more robust than expected. Shorter summary