roubini-setser site on dollar crisis now costs $599 a year -- used to be for free

dominic

Beast of Burden
people here may recall the thread that i started on the dollar crisis and the increasingly chaotic global financial situation back in march of this year

i referred people to the website maintained by ruibini and setser, both of whom are affiliated with the Stern School at NYU -- and they USED to do the admirable service of providing their insight and analysis to the internet public for free -- they were what i'd call "agents of enlightenment," doing their part to lift political discourse in america, trying to wake people up to what's really going on in the world today

but guess what? they now charge 599 USD a year for the privilege of reading their website

i guess NYU isn't paying them enough money???

how noble! how typical! how academic!
 
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dominic

Beast of Burden
this is like the phd in economics equivalent of k-punk or irrational numbers or long sunday suddenly deciding to charge for the right to read their thoughts on literature and philosophy

disappointing, to say the least

(though i suppose i'm not in a moral position that would allow me to criticize and condemn roubini-setser's action)
 
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dominic

Beast of Burden
i really must be on the brink of insanity -- b/c i railed off an angry missive to these guys this morning -- i.e., i woke up very early, visited their website, discovered they were now charging a high fee, flipped out, and sent them letters via e-mail stating my dismay in very strident language . . . .

anyway, in the interest of fairness, here's the explanation of brad setser . . . .

setser said:
a) my blog will remain free.

b) I am not on NYU's payroll, and my research associate position at oxford is unpaid. unless the site makes money, i personally would have to return to working for institutions that would keep my views much more private.

c) putting together the links on the page takes time and costs money . . . .

but yes, the pricing is steep, and targetted at the financial community. that seems to be the business model most likely to work. but no doubt there is a trade-off there, unfortunately.

not sure what the address of setser's personal blog is, but i'll post it if i learn of it
 
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dominic

Beast of Burden
and, ummmm, the roubini blog is also free = http://www.rgemonitor.com/blog/roubini

the roubini and setser blogs are definitely worth reading -- kinda like the dark foreboding and fears of serious policy wonks -- not sure if either of these guys was involved in clinton administration or not -- but along with the lenin site that infinite thought and k-punk have turned us on to, this should be required daily reading (or rather, the setser blog is -- roubini doesn't post as often)

so lenin site for the marxist reading, setser-roubini for "gloomy realist" school of american economic thought

and truth be told, had i been checking roubini-setser site as often as their material merits, i would have learned of their plan to privatize certain features of the site long before yesterday

[also kinda worth checking is the political theory daily reader = http://www.politicaltheory.info/ -- but this is merely a daily survey of various newspapers and academic journals, complete with links -- so there's no reditorial voice behind it, and it's kinda diffuse -- i.e., no edge, no take on things -- very middle-of-the-road-ish]
 
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