An Explanation of My Seeming Indifference

I just discovered that this blog has been visited more than 10,000 times, which is more than I expected. So I think I need to apologize for not having produced a single blog post for several months. But there is a good reason: my absence implies that I’m actually getting some more substantial work done. I tend to post the most when I have more free time than I actually need.

What, then, have I been doing over the past three months?

1. Obviously, I have been teaching courses at NSYSU. This semester I have an unprecedented teaching load of 12 hours per week (three students wanted a special seminar course, and I have difficulties refusing requests that imply that my ideas are not a total waste of time).
2. I’m editing a book that deals with spatial aspects and extensions of Austrian economic theory (to be published in 2012 as a new volume in the book series Advances in Austrian Economics). In addition to contributing myself, the volume will include chapters by a number of interesting economists and geographers, for example Randall Holcombe, Peter Gordon, Sandy Ikeda, Pierre Desrochers, and Jason Potts.
3. I have also been involved in several theoretical and empirical analyses of interstate migration flows in the US. The analyses focus on the effects of differences in institutional quality and agglomeration economies. This has resulted in three different papers, of which I presented one at a conference in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The other two studies were more empirical and were co-authored by James Taylor and Kevin Hoeltschi, respectively.
4. I have contributed several chapters to a new book on the future of the cross-border Oresund region in Scandinavia, which will be published in 2012. The book looks at various competitiveness factors, including institutions, financial markets, infrastructure, and R&D.
5. I have also continued my exploration of various housing markets together with Zoltan Kettinger, who is a doctoral candidate at NSYSU. It will hopefully result in several interesting empirical results.
6. As usual, I have continued my education by reading several books and papers.

In other words, this blog is not a thing of the past. I anticipate a less intensive writing period in the months ahead, which should enable me to post every now and then.