For anyone who reads economics blogs, Tyler Cowen needs no introduction -- he is perhaps the world's most prolific econoblogger, writing alongside Alex Tabarrok on Marginal Revolution. Tyler and Alex are part of a highly successful blogging movement by George Mason University economists -- including contributors to Overcoming Bias, EconLog, Cafe Hayek, EconTalk, Austrian Economists, and I think I can count GMU alumnus and now Michigan economist Mark J. Perry of Carpe Diem.
Tyler received his PhD from Harvard, where he was mentored by the legendary Tom Schelling. Tyler's academic career has focused on the economics of arts and culture, but one of the most impressive things about Tyler is his ability to speak intelligently on a wide variety of topics. This is probably due in part to his well-known ability to read and process information unusually quickly.
Tyler's contributions to public knowledge are many. Beyond his prolific blog, he has written a series of books including most recently the popular economics book, Discover Your Inner Economist. He also frequently appears in the New York Times and on NPR.
I thank Tyler for taking time to answer questions for Wehr in the World readers.
Q. I'm curious about the time commitment of your blog. In a typical day, how much time do you spend on the following:
A. Writing on MR -- One hour?
Thinking about what to write -- Close to zero, or during downtime.
Reading comments on MR -- 20 minutes? If I'm traveling I don't read them at all.
Reading other blogs -- 40 minutes?
Reading and writing blog-related emails -- I get quite a few, I'm not sure what it amounts to in terms of time. I do try to respond to almost everybody.
Looking at traffic statistics -- Zero, this is counterproductive.
The big time cost is reading but of course I would be doing that anyway.
Q. What has been the effect of George Mason University's economist bloggers on the Department? If it's been a NET positive effect, why do you think other departments aren't doing more to support or encourage faculty blogging?
A. It makes us more interesting and gives us great lunch conversations. We have much more influence on the world. But there are all sorts of popular and quasi-popular media and mostly they are not rewarded within academia more narrowly. That's OK, it keeps the competition down!
Q. Historically, who were the best minds in economics? Who are the best and brightest economists advancing the biggest ideas today?
A. Smith and Keynes and Hayek, I think. Friedman had an amazing clarity. Arrow has a stunning IQ. Those would be my top picks. Maybe Hume and J.S. Mill would be at the very top, if you count them as economists, although their economic ideas were not their greatest contributions they are the greatest minds to have graced our profession.
Q. To what do you credit your unusual ability to rapidly absorb and order information? How exactly does your mind organize information? How can others exercise their mind to become more like Tyler Cowen?
A. I discuss this at length in my next book, *Create Your Own Economy*. It is due out July 9, buy a copy! But I don't want to pre-empt that content.
Q. Of all your many contributions to public knowledge, for what do you most want to be remembered? What do you take the most pride in? What, in your opinion, has been your greatest work?
A. I don't think any of them will be remembered. If they have influence, it will be through absorption into a broader stream.
My next book has some chance of real influence and being remembered.
I am very fortunate that my age-creativity profile does not fit the usual pattern of decline after age 35 (this possibility is related to my next book as well). So at 47 I like to think that I can still do better. This is unusual among economists, but given the nature of what I do -- I'm more of an information collector than a theorist per se -- I believe it might be possible. I'm certainly not going to stop trying.
