JUNE 2008: READING LIST, READING LIST
As the economy slides, business blogs gain fans
When baseball sluggers are slumping, they re-evaluate their
swing. When the economy is going bad, generally there’s
increased interest in the field of economics.
At least that’s what two Oregon economists think is
happening, spurred by a daily dose of economic bad news.
“You see it on the front pages every day,” says
Patrick Emerson, an assistant professor of economics at OSU and
creator of the Oregon Economics Blog (oregonecon.blogspot.com).
More students are eager to participate in class discussions
now, Emerson says.
If the goal, though, is to become a self-styled economist,
blogs can be a useful alternative to major news outlets for
information. Some are offshoots of business newspapers and
their reporters, some are by academics and professionals, and
others are by hacks knowing nothing about economics.
“It’s kind of what you are looking for,” says
Mark Thoma, professor of economics at the University of Oregon.
In March 2005 Thoma started what has become one of the more
popular economic blogs, the Economist’s View. The blog
attracts about 12,000 hits per day. But when the Federal
Reserve held unscheduled meetings during last summer’s
financial crisis, the blog suddenly received about 2,000 more
hits per day, says Thoma.
The good and not-so-good economic blogs are separated by a
natural, self-governing system on the Internet, by which
credible and well-established sites recommend and post links to
other economic blogs, Thoma says.
Many are specialized, too. Some are fact-based, and others are
fiery commentary on major economic stories of the day. The best
even break stories not appearing in the mainstream
media.
JASON SHUFFLER
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