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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2 posts found
Apr 12, 2023
acx
42 min 5,838 words 660 comments 251 likes podcast (36 min)
Scott Alexander reviews a book critiquing Institutional Review Boards, arguing they now harm medical research more than they help. Longer summary
Scott Alexander reviews Simon Whitney's book 'From Oversight To Overkill', which critiques the current state of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in medical research. The book traces the history of IRBs from their noble beginnings to their current state of over-regulation and obstruction. Whitney argues that while IRBs were intended to protect research subjects, they now cause more harm than good by delaying or preventing potentially life-saving research. The review discusses several case studies that illustrate the problems with IRBs, and concludes by considering Whitney's proposed reforms and the broader societal trends that have led to this situation. Shorter summary
Feb 20, 2021
acx
12 min 1,563 words 443 comments 94 likes podcast (11 min)
Scott Alexander examines Ezra Klein's concept of 'vetocracy' and its implications for American governance and progress. Longer summary
Scott Alexander discusses Ezra Klein's concept of 'vetocracy', which describes the increasing inability of American institutions to build, innovate, or solve problems due to multiple veto points. The post explores whether vetocracy is the same as polarization, why it's happening, and how it relates to increasing regulation. Scott questions why vetocracy hasn't led to a libertarian paradise and considers potential solutions, including the drastic option of creating unchangeable structures as proposed in the crypto world. Shorter summary