Private Truths, Public Lies is a splendid book. It tackles a long list of interesting and important questions that have been discussed at length, and largely unsuccessfully, by scholars from each of the social sciences. Kuran blends the insights of economics, psychology, sociology, and political science into a behavioral model that moves the discussion forward on many fronts. His may not be the model that many traditional economists might have chosen, but it is one that most can live with.

Research on the standard of living now emphasizes alternatives or supplements to the national income accounts. This paper reviews the results of two decades of research using stature as a measure of health aspects of human welfare. After comparing and contrasting stature with per capita income, I consider height patterns discovered by economic historians that challenge traditional beliefs about the past, including long-term trends, cycles in heights, and the dreadfully small stature of slave children that was followed by catch-up growth. The paper concludes with comparisons to work in development economics and suggestions for research.

Iam grateful to Alice Amsden, Martin Bronfenbrenner, Christopher Clague, David Felix, Joseph Reid, Kazuo Sato, and referees of this Journal for insightful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. I also thank the Faculty Research Program of the Columbia Business Schoolfor financial support, andjohn Millarfor able research assistance. I bear sole responsibility for any deficiencies in the paper.

Introduction, 267. — I. “Exporting as little, importing as much as possible,” 268. — II. The results of the policy of “exporting as little, importing as much as possible,” 273. — III. The policy of equitable distribution, 275. — IV. Organization and nature of the International Materials Conference, 278. — V. Operations other than allocation recommendations of the Commodity Committees, 281. — VI. Distribution plans of the IMC Commodity Committees, 281. — VII. Summary and conclusion: significance of the Korean emergency experience, 286.

Journal Article Expansion and Protection Get access H. H. Powers H. H. Powers Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 13, Issue 4, July 1899, Pages 361–378, https://doi.org/10.2307/1883642 Published: 01 July 1899

In this article, I provide both econometric and case study evidence on the labor market effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1985 Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority decision that made 80% of state and local government workers eligible to receive compensation for overtime hours worked. Empirical evidence suggests that the behavior of public sector workers is consistent with a Coasian model in which overtime provisions are explicitly bargained for by the parties involved, likely making overtime legislation an ineffective tool for influencing the amount of overtime hours worked by public sector employees.