Jacob Christensen

Tyler Cowen had a pointer to a paper by economist Divya Mathur on arranged marriages (pdf here). Cowen’s take:

I take the implicit model to be that parents want a wife who will obey her in-laws. Sons want wives who will earn some money and be more interesting to talk to. Put the son in charge and the supply of potential mates responds accordingly.

The issue of arranged marriages has of cause played a role in Danish politics in the form of the “24-year-rule” but we should be careful in translating Mathur’s findings to a Western context where immigration policy conflicts complicates matters.

Nah – I’m taking a day off. Tonight is the big all-party candidates’ debate and then the campaign will wind down on Monday. My guess is that we will see some pretty intense last-minute campaigning this time.

The perils of Facebook. I was led to this quiz and told:

You should live in New York City. America’s largest city will ensure that you will blend into the crowd. You are the brooding type–introspective, creative, and eccentric–and NYC’s cutting-edge, individualistic culture and ambience will appeal to you.

In other news: My Old Mother is back in Copenhagen after enjoying a week in Rome.

• IFN – Wealth Concentration over the Path of Development: Sweden, 1873�2005
  Om h�nsyn tas till rika svenskars utlandstillg�ngar, n�got som inte g�rs i den officiella f�rm�genhetsstatistiken, har klyftan mellan de rikaste och den �vriga befolkningen sannolikt �kat mer i Sverige sedan 1980 �n i n�got annat v�stland.
  (tags: sweden economics research inequality)
• Crooked Timber � � Engineers of Jihad
  Gambetta and Hertog … show not only that there is a strong relationship between an engineering background and involvement in a variety of Islamic terrorist groups, but to arrive at a plausible hypothesis as to why this relationship pertains.
  (tags: terrorism islam research academic sociology)
• Seks superministerier skal fremtidssikre Danmark | Ingeni�ren
  Tre tidligere topembedsm�nd foresl�r en helt ny ministeriestruktur, der kan tackle klima, arbejdskraft og infrastruktur.
  (tags: denmark government publicadministration)

It’s S�nderjylland, so what would you expect if you saw a guy with a chain-saw in the middle of the night?

More from the Slime Machine:

• Ekstra Bladet comes out with all guns blazing at Henrik Sass Larsen
• Thomas Larsen from Berlingske Tidende uses the classic “sure Bent Falbert doesn’t look good, but…” rhetoric against Sass Larsen
• Bo S�ndergaard from Politiken, on the other hand, applies the “sure, Sass is a nasty character, but…” against Jens Rohde.
• Jyllands-Posten focuses on Jens Rohde’s part in the story

The Bourne Identity almost looks like a report from a Sunday school in comparison. (There are no logical links here – I just got around to watching the film tonight).

The Finns are coming and immediately people lose their minds…