Random links

The Long-run Effects of Agricultural Productivity on Conflict, 1400-1900
On the introduction of New World crops: "We find that the introduction of potatoes permanently reduced conflict for roughly two centuries."
Finding X in Espresso: Adventures in Computational Lexicology
"a statement in a recent note by Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary caught my eye: '… expresso shows enough use in English to be entered in the dictionary and is not disqualified by the lack of an x in its Italian etymon.'"
Ethnic Enclaves and the Dynamics of Social Identity on the College Campus: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
"effects were similar for both minority and White students ... and ... included an increased sense of ethnic victimization and a decreased sense of common identity and social inclusiveness." (For minorities they measured joining ethnic student groups; for whites they measured frats and sororities)