Dan Schwab
@danschwab4.bsky.social
I’m an associate professor of economics at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, interested in labor and environmental topics.
If I were a referee I'd ask to see the results compared to the S&P 500. Everything would probably look similar because they find large magnitudes in their main specification.
December 3, 2025 at 5:16 PM
If I were a referee I'd ask to see the results compared to the S&P 500. Everything would probably look similar because they find large magnitudes in their main specification.
Interesting, I didn’t know that. This article does says that a Waymo drives more miles per day than 99% of Ubers, but I guess 20 hours/day is not realistic: www.businessinsider.com/uber-earning...
The average Waymo robotaxi completes more trips per day than 99% of Uber drivers, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says
Waymo's self-driving cars are more productive in terms of daily trips than nearly all of Uber's drivers in Atlanta and Austin, Dara Khosrowshahi said.
www.businessinsider.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Interesting, I didn’t know that. This article does says that a Waymo drives more miles per day than 99% of Ubers, but I guess 20 hours/day is not realistic: www.businessinsider.com/uber-earning...
They can also operate 20+ hours a day and they already have way fewer accidents per mile, saving a ton on insurance (whether self-insured or through 3rd party). But I don’t know what the price will be. I’m saying if the price is low, some people will not own a private car.
November 13, 2025 at 2:06 AM
They can also operate 20+ hours a day and they already have way fewer accidents per mile, saving a ton on insurance (whether self-insured or through 3rd party). But I don’t know what the price will be. I’m saying if the price is low, some people will not own a private car.
I actually think that’s a pretty good reason to expect it might be different. Notice I’m not saying there will be fewer miles driven, just that some people will shift from private ownership to self-driven taxi.
November 13, 2025 at 1:38 AM
I actually think that’s a pretty good reason to expect it might be different. Notice I’m not saying there will be fewer miles driven, just that some people will shift from private ownership to self-driven taxi.
Yes, Waymo has said they hope to license the tech to be sold in private cars, but self-driving taxis will exist also.
November 13, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Yes, Waymo has said they hope to license the tech to be sold in private cars, but self-driving taxis will exist also.
I’m not making any predictions of what Waymo or zoox will cost per mile, but if it’s not much more than privately owned cars maybe some people will ditch the car (especially a 2-car household dropping to 1).
November 13, 2025 at 1:10 AM
I’m not making any predictions of what Waymo or zoox will cost per mile, but if it’s not much more than privately owned cars maybe some people will ditch the car (especially a 2-car household dropping to 1).
Why can’t we put all of the data centers in west Texas and just use solar+batteries? How much extra would things cost if we did that? Good luck with the baby!
September 24, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Why can’t we put all of the data centers in west Texas and just use solar+batteries? How much extra would things cost if we did that? Good luck with the baby!
Very cool! And there’s at least a little work being done with cows: solargrazing.org/raising-the-...
Raising the Panels for Cattle Grazing (ASGA Call 78) - American Solar Grazing Association
How do you make solar arrays cattle proof and what does cattle grazing under solar panels look like now?
solargrazing.org
September 22, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Very cool! And there’s at least a little work being done with cows: solargrazing.org/raising-the-...
I’ve read about putting solar panels above canals or certain crops. Solar panels above grazing land?
September 22, 2025 at 9:07 AM
I’ve read about putting solar panels above canals or certain crops. Solar panels above grazing land?
What is the difference between involuntary euthanasia and murder? They're both just killing somebody who doesn't want to be killed.
September 14, 2025 at 12:53 PM
What is the difference between involuntary euthanasia and murder? They're both just killing somebody who doesn't want to be killed.
I agree, but also want to consider "demand" to include demand for alternate uses, like seating for cafes, protected bike lanes, sidewalk trees, etc. If there's no demand for any of those things then maybe we can have parking for cars.
September 3, 2025 at 6:26 PM
I agree, but also want to consider "demand" to include demand for alternate uses, like seating for cafes, protected bike lanes, sidewalk trees, etc. If there's no demand for any of those things then maybe we can have parking for cars.
Not just the parking spaces. We should be charging drivers rent on the travel lanes too. They're using way more space than people who walk, use transit, etc.
September 3, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Not just the parking spaces. We should be charging drivers rent on the travel lanes too. They're using way more space than people who walk, use transit, etc.
Even with an elasticity of -1, you’d have people earning the same total $ in fewer hours, freeing them up for school, family, leisure, etc.
July 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Even with an elasticity of -1, you’d have people earning the same total $ in fewer hours, freeing them up for school, family, leisure, etc.
I came here to suggest this. I use it in a stats class in the econ department. I skip some of the chapters that are more for math stats (eg geometric distribution) and add more causal inference.
July 4, 2025 at 7:16 PM
I came here to suggest this. I use it in a stats class in the econ department. I skip some of the chapters that are more for math stats (eg geometric distribution) and add more causal inference.
The article has a lot of reasons that make me skeptical the result tells us much about New York. The biggest one is that GDP went up by 50% in a short time and a lot of people bought cars. Maybe transit’s share would have declined a lot more if it were not made free.
June 26, 2025 at 6:11 PM
The article has a lot of reasons that make me skeptical the result tells us much about New York. The biggest one is that GDP went up by 50% in a short time and a lot of people bought cars. Maybe transit’s share would have declined a lot more if it were not made free.
Thanks, that’s a lot more variability than I realized
May 21, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Thanks, that’s a lot more variability than I realized
What causes the peaks and valleys in nuclear?
May 21, 2025 at 6:49 PM
What causes the peaks and valleys in nuclear?
Where do you see average of 2800 and 2000? I see a maximum of 2800 and a minimum of 2000 but the drop in averages is much smaller (I am a devoted YIMBY, but also a nerd).
April 27, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Where do you see average of 2800 and 2000? I see a maximum of 2800 and a minimum of 2000 but the drop in averages is much smaller (I am a devoted YIMBY, but also a nerd).
Do you have a source for that? BEA says the US has a trade deficit when including goods and services (tariffs are still dumb). www.bea.gov/news/2025/us...
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, February 2025 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $122.7 billion in February, down $8.0 billion from $130.7 billion in January, re...
www.bea.gov
April 7, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Do you have a source for that? BEA says the US has a trade deficit when including goods and services (tariffs are still dumb). www.bea.gov/news/2025/us...
Why didn’t they include a regression table with 6 pt font?
March 1, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Why didn’t they include a regression table with 6 pt font?
Honest question: why don’t mathematicians put a detailed version in an online appendix to help people who can’t figure out the details?
December 10, 2024 at 1:21 AM
Honest question: why don’t mathematicians put a detailed version in an online appendix to help people who can’t figure out the details?