How to explore Scott Alexander's work and his 1500+ blog posts? This unaffiliated fan website lets you sort and search through the whole codex. Enjoy!

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4 posts found
Oct 01, 2018
ssc
38 min 5,261 words 568 comments podcast (35 min)
Scott Alexander presents counterarguments to YIMBY housing policies, questioning their effectiveness and considering NIMBY perspectives. Longer summary
Scott Alexander steelmans the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) position against YIMBYism (Yes In My Back Yard) in housing policy debates, particularly focused on San Francisco. He argues that: 1) San Francisco's housing growth rate is not uniquely low, 2) Building more housing may not significantly lower rents, 3) Increased housing supply could potentially increase rents due to agglomeration effects, 4) NIMBYs have valid reasons to oppose development, and 5) Increasing housing supply might trap more people in an undesirable equilibrium. He concludes by acknowledging the lack of clear alternatives but expressing skepticism that simply building more housing will solve the problem. Shorter summary
May 28, 2018
ssc
61 min 8,415 words 558 comments podcast (55 min)
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to reader comments on his previous post comparing basic income to basic job guarantee programs. Longer summary
Scott Alexander summarizes and responds to various comments on his previous post about basic income vs. basic jobs. He covers topics like different countries' experiences with job guarantee programs, potential issues with UBI implementation, economic considerations, and philosophical arguments for and against UBI and basic jobs. The post aims to provide a balanced view of the debate by highlighting thoughtful comments from multiple perspectives. Shorter summary
Jul 20, 2017
ssc
4 min 447 words 362 comments
Scott Alexander posts a classified thread and advertises rationalist community housing in Berkeley, describing four available houses and inviting applications. Longer summary
Scott Alexander announces another classified thread for ads, personals, and success stories. He then provides a detailed advertisement for rationalist community housing in Berkeley. The post describes four available houses near an existing cluster of rationalist group homes on Ward Street. Scott explains the community's desire to create a center for their movement in this area. He invites interested parties, both existing community members and newcomers, to apply for entire houses or single rooms. The post concludes with a disclaimer about the Bay Area's high costs, politics, and mixed experiences within the rationalist community. Shorter summary
Apr 04, 2013
ssc
10 min 1,311 words 15 comments
Scott Alexander debunks a viral image about minimum wage and apartment affordability, showing how its methodology is flawed and recalculating more realistic figures. Longer summary
Scott Alexander critiques a viral image claiming to show the number of hours needed to work at minimum wage to afford a two-bedroom apartment in different states. He points out several flaws in the image's methodology and interpretation, including that it's not actually about minimum wage, that raising minimum wage wouldn't solve the problem, and that the numbers are misleading. Scott then recalculates the figures using more realistic assumptions, showing that the actual hours needed are much lower than the image suggests. He concludes that while minimum wage earners do face challenges, this particular image is not an accurate representation of those challenges. Shorter summary