Tabbarok summarizes a study on differences in attitude toward collectivism and competition between rice and wheat farmers in China, using a kind of unnatural experiment, in which de-mobilized soldiers were randomly assigned to different types of farming land.
Tabarrok, by the way, is probably less intelligent than Cowen, but tends to put his intelligence to more honest uses.
I agree yes. Cowen puts his subordinates to good use in general.
I imagine mobility in China made the difference more stark. If you were a bad rice farmer you could always gtfo and move north. And if you were a northerner who enjoyed the grind you could make a better living down south.
Yes, like that time Cowen had Hanson suggest celebrating black people by eating fried chicken and watermelon.
im huwheat