Maybe Steve Levitt should start drinking Canadian beer

I really feel for Rob Oxoby. He wrote a joke paper (8-page pdf) about AC-DC while killing time at a Vancouver airport bar, put it up on his web page, and passed it along to a couple of friends.

Unfortunately for him, it eventually caught the attention of Steve Levitt. This put Oxoby in the excruciating position of having to explain a joke (see comment 14), but not before it made the Sydney Morning Herald. (See also the story in the Calgary Herald: "Once he's unleashed a string of expletives unsuitable for publication, Oxoby settles down and agrees to an interview with the Herald.")

Oxoby's  bemusement is more than understandable.  I mean, here is the conclusion:

The question as to who was a better singer, Bon Scott or Brian Johnson, may never truly be resolved. However, our analysis suggests that in terms of affecting efficient decision making among listeners, Brian Johnson was a better singer. Our analysis has direct implications for policy and organizational design: when policymakers or employers are engaging in negotiations (or setting up environments in which other parties will negotiate) and are interested in playing the music of AC/DC, they should choose from the band’s Brian Johnson era discography.

I wonder how many people thought that Preston McAfee's wonderful 1983 AER article 'American Economic Growth and the Voyage of Columbus' was a serious research paper.

The link is, I think, is the role of Canadian beer:

• Oxoby wrote his paper in a Vancouver airport bar.
• The US-born McAfee (who was then at the University of Western Ontario)  blames errors on "stultification resulting from Canada's climate and  first-best beers."

A modest suggestion: the AEA should have its receptions catered by Moosehead Breweries.

Comments

[Christine]

I noticed this via Australian connections (I'm a tad surprised they didn't get the joke), and had a huge giggle. I was particularly impressed Rob managed to introduce policy conclusions. I think there's a lesson in that for all of us.

A bit surprising that getting involved in the Bon Scott v Brian Johnson debate attracts hate mail, though.