Interesting Items - 12/30

Specialization vs. Diversification 

Ricardo Hausman – The Specialization Myth

Economic Inequality Debate

Nicholas Wapshott Asks: Is the Pope a Socialist?
http://blogs.reuters.com/nicholas-wapshott/2013/12/30/the-popes-divisions/

Japan

Japan’s Nikkei Experiences Its Best Performance Since 1972

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304137304579289644113616028

Japan’s Economic Recovery – To Early to Cheer

http://www.theguardian.com/business/economics-blog/2013/dec/27/japan-deflation-nikkei-shinzo-abe

A Major Concern for US Higher Education:

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/12/we-are-creating-walmarts-of-higher-education/282619/

 According to above article:

“Under pressure to turn out more students, more quickly and for less money, and to tie graduates’ skills to workforce needs, higher-education institutions and policy makers have been busy reducing the number of required credits, giving credit for life experience, and cutting some courses, while putting others online.

Now critics are raising the alarm that speeding up college and making it cheaper risks dumbing it down. “We all want to have more students graduate and graduate in a more timely manner,” says Rudy Fichtenbaum, president of the American Association of University Professors. “The question is, do you do this by lowering your standards?”“

Differential Tuition Pricing

I have never been a fan of differential pricing being applied to college tuition – it tends give an exaggerated picture of tuition inflation and creates needless complexity and administrative bloat. Thankfully, some colleges are coming to the realization that they would be better served by adopting a simpler tuition structure:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/26/education/getting-out-of-discount-game-small-colleges-lower-the-price.html

Related: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304244904579276850992941142.html