The Garden of Forking Paths

Home
Archive
About
New
Top
Discussion
Did leaded gasoline cause a huge spike in crime?
The Lead-Crime Hypothesis—that the toxic effects of leaded gasoline explain big spikes in crime—offers convincing evidence and helps explain why violent…
 • 
Brian Klaas
15
Why Accountability Matters for Trump
The prosecutions of Trump will reshape the culture of the Republican Party and the future of American democracy. To understand why, we need to take a…
 • 
Brian Klaas
3
How tall was Jesus? Or, measurement and the making of the modern world.
The mensura Christi provides insights into the making of modern measurement—and how the history of metrology created our modern world, subdivided into…
 • 
Brian Klaas
18
My "Life in the UK" Test and a Great British Travel Guide
I passed my "Life in the UK" test and will soon (hopefully) become a dual citizen of the US and UK. I reflect on 12 years in Britain and offer some less…
 • 
Brian Klaas
20
Gerrymander to Save American Democracy
Yes, I know it sounds crazy. But a specific type of gerrymandering—to boost competition—is the best hope for saving a broken system that's lurching…
 • 
Brian Klaas
7
August 2023
Signalling Theory, Twitter, and the Fake Blue Tick
Twitter—ahem "X"—is a perfect illustration of signalling theory, as Elon Musk has taken a useful honest signal and turned it into a dangerous, dishonest…
 • 
Brian Klaas
6
Prigozhin is dead. But Putin is now weaker.
Russia's dictator may have eliminated one threat to his power, but he just created fresh ones. And the cracks in his regime are starting to show.
 • 
Brian Klaas
4
The Ten Days that Didn't Exist
There are ten days that don't exist in history. Understanding why leads to a fascinating look at the nature of time—and how humans subdivide their…
 • 
Brian Klaas
7
How Dictators Lie about Economic Growth
A new study uses a novel technique to measure economic activity—in a way that can't be manipulated by autocrats. And it turns out despots have been…
 • 
Brian Klaas
10
The yogurt kingpin, the radio DJ coup, and the most interesting island on Earth
Madagascar is a fascinating island home to 30 million people. It's also home to bizarre, volatile politics that virtually nobody knows about. Now, you…
 • 
Brian Klaas
8
Experiment with Everything
One man randomized his life. He teaches us why we need much more trial-and-error experimentation—in our lives and in public policy. Here's how it might…
 • 
Brian Klaas
17
The Day Four Million Children Disappeared
A peculiar episode from 1987 teaches us crucial lessons about incentives in the public sector, the overwhelming impulse for humans to be honest, and the…
 • 
Brian Klaas
6
© 2023 Brian Klaas
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing