經(jīng)濟學(xué)家期刊文章精選20篇（考研英語專用，含參考譯文）1、Education

Snootyorwhat?

Oct14th2004FromTheEconomistprintedition

Invertedsnobberypreventsgoodteachersgoingwherethey'reneeded

Aclevermanwantstodoagoodthing,butthewickedgovernmentstopshim.Thatisthescandalous-soundingstoryofthedifficultiesencounteredbyTristramJones-Parry,headoffee-payingWestminsterSchool,oneofthebestinthecountry.Heretiresnextyearandwantstohelpteachmathsinastateschool.

Washewelcomedwithopenarms?No.Hewastold,hecomplains,thathewouldneedretrainingforthestatesystem.ItwasasimilarstoryforDavidWolfe,aretiredAmericanphysicsprofessorwhoteachesinaBritishstateschool.HesaidthisweekthattheauthoritiestoldhimtosittheGCSEmathsexamnormallytakenby16-year-oldsifhewantedtocontinue.

Thesystemisnotquiteasinsaneasthismightsuggest.Therulesthatrequirestate-schoolteacherstobeformallyqualifieddohaveexceptions.TheTeacherTrainingAgencyinsiststhatMrJones-Parrycouldgainhisticketinjustaday,byhavinganassessorfromthestatesystemobservehisworkatWestminster(arequirementscarcelylessludicrousthanthesupposeddemandforretraining).MrWolfe'sAmericanPhDwouldcountasanequivalenttotheGCSEmathspassnormallyrequired.Sohewouldscrapebyaswell.TheGeneralTeachingCouncil,anotherquango,hasnowapologisedtoMrJones-Parryforgivinghimthewronginformationatfirst,andthenleavinghisfollow-upletterunansweredforsixweeks.

Therealstoryisthegulfbetweenthetwokindsofschool.HeadslikeMrJones-Parryhireteacherswithgoodacademiccredentialsbutnotnecessarilywithstatequalifications.State-schoolhiringiscloselyregulated;theirteachersneedtobeexpertform-fillersandjargon-wielders,andaremuchlesslikelytohavegooddegrees:indeedonly38%ofstate-schoolmathsteachershaveadegreeinthesubject;inindependentschools,63%do.

Soit'snotsurprisingthatprivate-schoolteachersthinkeventhemostnominalbarrierstotheirteachinginstateschoolsareoffensiveandsilly.Theothersiderespondsinkind:teachingunionsthisweeksaidsnidelythatMrJones-Parrymightbegoodatteachingadvancedmathstowell-behavedbrightkids,butwouldnotnecessarilyknowhowtoteachsimplesumstorowdy,dimones.Perhaps.Butmanystate-schoolparentsdesperatelyseekingbettermathsteachingfortheirchildrenmightconsiderthatriskrathersmall.

2、Parentsandchildren

Familyvalues

Sep30th2004FromTheEconomistprintedition

Richkidshavelittletimefortheirelderlyparents.Theingratitude!

WHYwasKingLeartreatedsocruellybyhisdaughters?Untilrecently,mostoftheanswershavecomefromscholarswithscantknowledgeofeconomictheory.Fortunately,JohnErmisch,anEssexeconomist,isworkingtoremedythisdeficiency.Hisresearchproveswhatmanyparentshavelongsuspected—thatincreasedwealthgoesalongwithfilialingratitude.–Topicsentence

UsingdatafromtheBritishHouseholdPanelSurvey,MrErmischshowsthataffluentparentsareslightlymorelikelytosupplyoffspringwithmoneyandhelpwithchild-rearingthanpoorparents.Butsuccessseemstohavepreciselytheoppositeeffectonchildren.Themerepossessionofauniversitydegreemakeschildren20%lesslikelytophonetheirmothersregularly,andmorethan50%lesslikelytopaythemavisit.

Thisispuzzlingbecauseself-interestedchildrenmightbeexpectedtobehaveinpreciselytheoppositeway.Mostwealthypeoplearedescendedfromwealthyparents,whichmeanstheyhavealotofpatrimonytolosebycuttingbackonthefawning.“Nothingwillcomeofnothing,”asapre-retirementandstillsaneKingLearputitwhenhisyoungestdaughterdaredtowithholdheraffections.

Sowhyarerichkidssuchbrats?Therearetwolikelyexplanations.Thefirstisthat,astheirincomerises,themarginalcostofprovidingservicesgoesup.Itsimplyisn'tworththeirwhiletohelpwiththeshopping,particularlysinceaffluencetendstoincreasedistancesbetweenparentsandchildren.And,sincepersonalcontactcorrelateswithtelephonecontact,theyarelesslikelytophone,too.Outofsight,outofmind.

Anotheranswercomesfromanobscurebranchofeconomicsknownasstrategicbequesttheory.Thispredictsthatchildrenwillprovideonlyenoughservicestoensuretheygetareasonableshareoftheinheritance.Butthatpointisreachedsoonerbythosewhohaveonlyonesiblingrival,ornoneatall.Wealthierfamilies,whichtendtobesmaller,simplyfailtoensuretheoptimumamountofcompetition.

Giventheseironlaws,whatareparentssupposedtodo?Goodresultsmightbeachievedbyhavingmorechildren,orexpressingasuddeninterestinthelocalcats'home.ButMrErmischisnotoptimistic.“Theonlythingtheycandoisfollowtheirchildrenaround,”hesays.Anddon'tmakeKingLear'smistakebyhandingoverthecashfirst.

3、Theinternet

AliveandkickingSep23rd2004FromTheEconomistprintedition

Competitionstillexistsontheweb

JUSTwhenyouthoughtyouknewtheweb,alongcomenewcompetitorstokeepthingsinteresting.OnSeptember15th,anewsearchenginecalledA9wasunveiledbyAmazon,thegiantinternetretailer.ItrepackagesGoogle'ssearchresults,butwithusefultweaks.Searchesnotonlycallupwebsitesandimagesonthesamepage,butotherreferences,suchasAmazon'sbooksearch,theInternetMovieDatabase,andencyclopaediaanddictionaryreferences.Moreover,itkeepstrackofusers'searchhistories—animportantinnovationassearchbecomesmorepersonalised.

ManyhadassumedthemarketwasstitchedupbyGoogleandYahoo!(whoaccountforover90%ofsearches),barringtheexpectedentranceofMicrosoft.Likewise,themarketforonlinemusicseemedsettled:Apple'siTunesistheleader,itsmainrivalsbeingRealNetworksandMicrosoft'sMSNMusic.Yetthis,too,understatesthepotentialforbattle.Lastweek,Yahoo!boughtMusicmatch,anonlinemusicretailerandsoftwarefirm,for$160m.Musicdownloadsarenowworthroughly$310mannuallybutareforecasttogrowto$4.6billionby2008,accordingtoForresterResearch,sothereisroomfornewfirmstosprout.

Meanwhile,themostsurprisingnewcompetitionisinwebbrowsers.Microsoftwastheundisputedchamp（Informal：=Achampion）,afterbundlingInternetExplorerwithitsWindowsoperatingsysteminthe1990sanddestroyingNetscape.However,Microsoft'sbrowserissovulnerabletoattacksbyonlinecrooksandvarioustroublemakersthattheAmericanandGermangovernmentshaverecommendedthatusersconsideralternatives.Thishasbeenaboontotwosmallbrowser-makers,Opera,aNorwegiansoftwarecompany,andMozilla,whichdevelopedtheFirefoxbrowserbasedonanopen-sourceversionofNetscape.Firefoxboasted1mdownloadswithin100hoursofitsreleaseonSeptember14th.

Securityhasbecomethemaincompetitivedifference.ThesoftwareofbothOperaandMozillaisconsideredsafer(partlybecausetheyhavefewerusersandsoarealessattractivetargetforhackers).Microsoft'sshareofthebrowsermarkethasactuallyshrunkoverthepastthreemonthsfromaround96%to94%.Itisahighlysymbolicphenomenon,albeitamodestdecrease.EvenGoogleisthoughttobetoyingwiththeideaoflaunchingitsownbrowser.

Underlyingthisrippleofcompetitionistheabilityoflargecompaniesthatalreadybenefitfromeconomiesofscaletoextendintonewareas,saysHalVarian,aneconomistattheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley.ThatexplainsAmazon'sA9searchserviceandYahoo!'smoveintomusic.Asforbrowsers,“Microsofthadalockonthemarketandjustdroppedtheball.Microsofthasn'tprovidedanyinnovationinthebrowserareaandtheyhadpoorsecurity,”hesays.Themessage:watchyourback.（1—俗語：擦亮你的眼睛；2—Microsoft的一款軟件，用來阻擋可疑信息或過大郵件。這里一語雙關(guān)，反諷十足。）

4、Brainscanning

Nohidingplace

Oct28th2004|SANDIEGOFromTheEconomistprintedition

Studiesusingfunctionalbrain-imagingtakeonsophisticatedtopicsFEWrecentinnovationshavetransformedafieldofresearchasmuchasfunctionalmagnetic-resonanceimaging(fMRI).Thetechniquehasrevolutionisedthestudyofthehumanbrain.Bymakingvisibletheinvisible(theactivityofdifferentbitsofthelivingbrainonasecond-by-secondbasis),ithasrevolutionisedthestudyofthatorgan.Butwhatstartedoutasamedicalinstrumentisnowusedroutinelytoprobecomplexquestionsaboutbehaviourandmotivation.ThatwasthelessonoftwostudiespresentedtoameetingoftheSocietyforNeuroscience,heldinSanDiegoearlierthisweek.

Inoneofthestudies,JonathanCohen,ofPrincetonUniversity,andhiscolleaguestriedtoexplainananomalythathasbeennaggingeconomistsfordecades.Ifhumanswerefullyrational(atleast,rationalinthewaythateconomistsdefinetheword),theywouldattachthesamemonetaryvaluetoaweek'sdelayinreceivingapayment,regardlessofwhenthatweekbegan.So,ifsomeoneisoffered$10atthebeginningofanygivenweek,or$11attheendofit,heshouldmakethesamechoice,whetherthatweekstartsnoworayearfromnow.Butthatturnsoutnottobehowmostpeoplejudgeit.Inmostcases,theywilltakethe$10todaybutthe$11inayearandaweek.

DrCohenreasonedthatthisinconsistencymightreflecttheinfluenceofdifferentneuralsystemsinthebrain.Totestthis,herecruited14students,thetraditionalworkhorsesinsuchstudies.Whilelyinginhisbrainscanner,thestudentswereofferedthechoiceofreceivinganAmazongiftcertificateworthsomewherebetween$5and$40immediately,orgettingoneworth1%to50%moreinacoupleofweeks'time.

Whenaparticipantchosetheearlierreward,therewasanincreaseintheactivityofhislimbicsystem.Thisisaregionofthebrainthatisinvolvedinemotion.Incontrast,whenthechoicewastodelaygratificationinexchangeforabiggerreward,brainactivitywasconcentratedinthe“thinking”regions,suchastheprefrontalcortex.Theinconsistencythereforeseemstobetheresultofdifferentsortsofcalculationhappeninginthetwocases.

Ofcourse,thatdoesnotanswertheultimatequestionofwhyevolutionhasequippedthebrainthisway.DrCohenspeculatesthatitmayhavesomethingtodowithsurvivalwhenthearrivalofresourcesisscarceandunpredictable,ratherthanthesubjectofcontractsandanefficientbankingsystem.Butitdoesshineanewlightonissuessuchasdrugaddictionandprocrastination,whicharebothsituationswherethetemptationofimmediaterewardcanleadtochoicesthatmightultimatelybedetrimental.

WhileDrCohen'sgroupwrestleswithhowpeoplemakechoices,KlausMathiak,oftheUniversityofTübingen,inGermany,andhiscolleagues,areusingfMRItostudytheeffectswhichcertainsortsofchoicehaveonbrainactivity.Specifically,theteamislookingatwhatgoesonintheheadsofdedicatedvideo-gamesplayersduringviolent“socialinteractions”withinagame.

DrMathiakenlisted13gamerswhoplayedvideogamesfor,onaverage,20hoursaweek.Whilethegamersstalkedandshottheenemyfromtherelativediscomfortofascanner'sinterior,theresearchersrecordedeventsintheirbrains.Asaplayerapproachedaviolentencounter,partofhisbraincalledtheanteriorcingulatecortexbecameactive.Thisareaisassociatedwithaggressioninlessfictionalscenarios,andalsowiththesubsequentsuppressionofmorepositiveemotions,suchasempathy.DrMathiaknotedthattheresponsesinhisgamerswerethusstrikinglysimilartotheneuralcorrelatesofrealaggression.Asheputsit,“Contrarytowhattheindustrysays,itappearstobemorethanjustagame.”

5、Television

Grimreality

Nov4th2004FromTheEconomistprintedition

America'sappetiteforrealitytelevisionisflagging

“THERebelBillionaire:Branson'sQuestfortheBest”willmakeitsdebutonAmerica'sFoxnetworknextweek,featuringaBritishtycoon,SirRichardBranson,tryingtomakeassuccessfulareality-TVshowasanAmericanmogul,DonaldTrump,starof“TheApprentice”.Acontestantwillgetdumpedineachepisode;thewinnerwillget$1mandajob.ThetimingisnotauspiciousforSirRichard.RealityTVhasfalteredintheAmericanratingsrecently,withviewingdownfor“TheBenefactor”,“TheBachelor”andeven“TheApprentice”.Newshows,suchas“TheNextGreatChamp”and“TheLastComicStanding”,havedonesobadlythattheyhavebeenrelegatedtocablenetworks.

Toomanyshowsofobviouslyinferiorqualityhaveprickedreality'sbubble,saysDavidPoltrack,headofresearchandplanningattheCBSnetwork.AccordingtoCBS'saudienceresearch,peopleareespeciallyfedupwiththeglutofcopycatprogrammesthatschedulershaverushedontotheairfollowingthegenre'sspectacularsuccessoverthepastfewyears.Thatwillmakeithardforanynewrealityshow—goodorbad—togetastrongstart,hesays.ItalsobodesillforFox'sforthcomingdedicatedreality-TVcablechannel—especiallyastherearetwoofthemalready.

Soisthegenreover?Networkexecutivesandadvertisersagreethatthestrongestandmostoriginalshowswillsurvive—CBS's“Survivor”,forinstance,remainspopular—althoughtheywillnolongerbeabletocountonanyme-tooprogrammesucceeding.RealityTVisstillfarcheapertomakethandrama.Advertiserslikeitsyoungeraudiences.

ThereislittlesignoffatigueoutsideAmerica.FamiliarformatsaremakingtheirwayacrossEurope.InBritain,ratingsarehighforITV's“I'maCelebrity,GetMeOutofHere”,Channel4's“BigBrother”andChannel5's“TheFarm”,inwhichacelebrityfemalecontestantrecentlyshockedviewersbymanuallyextractingsemenfromapig.Britishtellymayinfuturemakefewerrealityshows,but(chiefly)onlyifthepubliclyfundedBBCdecidestoemphasise“public-service”fareinabidtopersuadethegovernmenttorenewitssubsidy.

RealityTV'spauseinAmericaisallowingscripteddramatobounceback,tothereliefofprofessionalactorsandscribeswhocomplainofbeingunder-employed.ThehitofAmerica'sautumnseasonis“DesperateHousewives”,ahighly-sexedfictionalversionofsuburbanlife.Yetreality'stechniquesareinfluencingevenscriptedprogrammes,saysAlanBoydofFremantleMedia.ABC'snewdrama,“Lost”,forinstance,aboutpassengerssurvivingaplanecrash,looksratherlike“Survivor”.“TheOffice”,aBritishcomedythathasreceivedcriticalacclaiminAmericatoo,looksmuchlikerealityTVwithascript.

6、Smoking

StubbingitoutNov11th2004FromTheEconomistprintedition

WhateffectwillScotland'ssmokingbanhave?

ITWASaradical,sweepingandentirelyexpectedmove.OnNovember10ththeScottishcabinetvotedtofollowIreland,NewYorkandNorwayinbanningsmokinginpublicplaces,includingpubs,restaurantsandevenprivatemembers'clubs.

TheScottishExecutivearguesthatScotlandisoneoftheunhealthiestnationsinEurope,andsmokingispartlytoblame.Some31%ofScotssmoke,comparedwith26%ofBritons.Lungcancerratesare49%higherinScotlandthanintherestofthecountry.JackMcConnell,Scotland'sfirstminister,saysthatcigarettesalesinNewYorkfellby13%afterabanwasintroducedin2003,andby16%inIreland,whichbroughtoneinearlierthisyear.

Whetherthepublicisaskeenasitsleadersislessclear.TheScottishExecutiveinsiststhatthereissupportforatotalban,butaleakedinternalpollindicatedthatonlyhalfthepopulationwasinfavour.Adifferentpoll,conductedbyPopulusforthepro-smokinggroupForest,foundthat73%opposedanoutrightban;mostfavouredacompromiseofsomesort.

NoristhelikelyimpactonScottishbusinessanyclearer.TheLicensedTraders'Association,whichrepresentsScottishpubs,predicted30,000jobswouldgo.Nonsense,saidthegovernment.

Evidencefromoverseasshedslittlelight.AfterthebaninIreland,theIrishBrewers'Associationreporteda6%declineinbeersalesinpubs.ButtheIrishareamongtheheaviestdrinkersinEurope,andsalesfellbyasimilaramountin2003,beforetheban.Sothedeclinemaybepartofalong-termtrend.TheVintners'Association,whichrepresentsDublinpubs,saysithasclearerstatistics:itreckonsthattradeisdownabout16%,andthatabout2,000jobshavegone.

Anti-smokinggroupsprefertopointtoNewYork,whereagovernmentstudyreportedthatbarsandrestaurantshadhired2,800extrastafftocopewithincreaseddemandinthewakeofthebanthere.ButtheNewYorkNightlifeAssociation,atradebody,pointsoutthatthestudycoveredworkersinfast-foodrestaurantsthathadneverallowedsmokingontheirpremises,evenbeforetheban.Itreckonsthatemploymenthasfallenby10%—althoughthenumberofpeopleapplyingforalicencetorunabarhasstayedthesame.

SmokerswillnowturntheirattentiontoEngland,whichhasbeentoyingwiththeideaofabanforsometime.Ministerstherearethoughttobereluctanttobansmokingoutright,especiallywithageneralelectionlooming,butnewhealthproposalsdealingwiththesubjectareduebeforetheendoftheyear.NodoubttheEnglishministerswillbestudyingtheScottishdebateclosely.

7、Microfinance

Smallsums,bigissueNov18th2004|NEWYORKFromTheEconomistprintedition

TheUnitedNationsturnsitsattentiontofinanceforthepoor

AMONGthemorebenignactivitiesoftheUnitedNationsisthededicationofvariousyearstospecificcauses.Mountains,deserts,riceanddialoguehaveallhadtheir365daysoffame.Thereislittleevidencethattheattentionhasdonemountains,deserts,riceanddialogueanyharm—butalsonotmuchtosuggestthattheyhavebenefitedeither.

Inthenext12monthsthespotlightfallsonmicrofinance,thebusinessoflendingsmallamountsofmoneytothepoor,takingdepositsfromthem,transmittingmoneyontheirbehalfandinsuringthem.Withluck,theUN'seffortwillturnouttobesubstantialratherthansymbolic.Itcertainlykickedoffinstyle,withabigpartyattheUN'sNewYorkheadquartersthatdemonstratedhowfashionablethesubjecthasbecome.Amongthe700inattendanceweretopbankers,politiciansandafilmstarortwo.TheUNalsoannouncedtheappointmentofanadvisorypaneltoconsiderwhatmaybeimpedingthegrowthandeffectivenessofmicrofinance.Itsmembersincludebusinessmenandfinanciers(aswellastheeditorofTheEconomist'sbusinesssection).

ThesuccessoftheyeardependstoagreatextentonwhethertheUNcanharnessitsmemberstatesandfinancialinstitutionstoestablishsomebasicfacts.Remarkablylittleisknownabouthowfinanceoperatesoutsidewealthycountries.Nogooddataexistonhowmanypeoplehaveaccesstofinancialinstitutions,thebreadthandpenetrationofbanksinpoorcountries,therealcostofaloanandthetimeittakestogetone,theeaseofmakingadepositandsoforth.

Microfinanceitselfissomethingofamystery.Therearenoauthoritativefiguresonthenumberandperformanceofmicrolendinginstitutions.Thereisnotevenconvincinginformation,beyondlotsofanecdotesillustratedbyphotographsofwomeninruralvillages,aboutwhethermicrofinancemakesanysignificantcontributiontoeconomicgrowthorismerelyanotherphilanthropicfad.

Inprinciple,loanstothepoorshouldbringgreatbenefits.Becausethepoorhavelesscapitalandoftencanborrowonlywithgreatdifficulty,ifatall,theyoughttouseextracapitalmoreproductivelythantherich.Indeed,thismightexplainwhyeveninthepoorestplacesthereissomeformofmoneylendingdespitestaggeringlyhighinterestrates:1,000%ayearisnotuncommon.However,suchratesinevitablytakeatollonenterpriseandeconomicgrowth.Theyearofmicrocreditwillhaveproventobeofgreatworthifitcanfirstdocumenttheimpedimentstomoreefficientformsoffinancialintermediationandthenbegintoclearthemaway.

Forexample,theUNwoulddowelltoaddressthecommoncomplaintthatbanksignorethepooroutofclassbias.Iftheydo,theUN'sinterestmayhastenchange:somefinancialinstitutionsarealreadymakingeffortstoworkwiththepoor,eitherdirectlyorbyprovidingwholesaleservicestosmallerfinancialinstitutions.Andmanyworkinginmicrofinancecomplainthattheirsmallsizeandlackoftraditionalassetsmakeithardtoattractcapitaleitherontheirownaccountorthroughsyndicatedloans.Ayearhence,perhapssomeofthiswillhavechanged.

8、Thedollar

Furthertofall

Dec29th2004FromTheEconomistprintedition

Anewyearislikelytobringanewlowforthedollar

THEdollarendedtheyearasitbegan:headingdownhill.Ithitanewlowagainsttheeuro,below$1.36,onDecember28th.Againsttheyen,itwassteadier:¥103,slightlystrongerthaninlateNovember.Theyenhasrisenbylessthantheeurobecause,althoughtheBankofJapanhasnotintervenedintheforeign-exchangemarketssinceMarch,thebanklooksmorelikelytoactthantheEuropeanCentralBank.Japan'sfinanceminister,SadakazuTanigaki,gavewarningthisweekthathiscountry'sauthoritieswouldmonitorforeign-exchangemarketsovertheNewYearholiday.Incontrast,GerritZalm,theDutchfinanceminister,suggestedthattheeuro'srisesofarwasacceptable.

Sinceearly2002thedollarhaslost37%againsttheeuroand24%againsttheyen.Butithasshedonly16%againsttheFederalReserve'sbroadbasketofcurrencies,becausemanyAsiancurrenciesarepeggedorcloselytiedtothegreenback.

Thecauseofthedollar'sdeclineishardlyamystery:privateinvestorsarelesseagertofinanceAmerica'shugecurrent-accountdeficit.Thedeficitwidenedslightlyinthethirdquarterof2004,toarecord$165billion,or5.6%ofGDP.Ifthedeficitremainssobig,America'sforeigndebtburdenandhenceitsdebt-servicepaymentswillincreasesharply.

Sofar,America'smountingforeignliabilitieshavenotharmeditseconomybecausetheriseinitsdebtinrecentyearshasbeenoffsetbylowerinterestrates.Asaresult,Americastillenjoysanetinflowofforeigninvestmentincomedespitebeingtheworld'sbiggestdebtor.But,asinterestratesrise,refinancingAmerica'sdebtwillbecomemorecostly.GoldmanSachsforecaststhatnetforeigninvestmentincomeislikelytoshifttoasizeabledeficitduring2005,growingthereafter.Theinvestmentbankestimatesthat,ifAmerica'scurrent-accountdeficitremainssteadyasashareofGDPandinterestratesaverage5%infuture,netforeigndebt-servicepaymentswillreach4%ofGDPby2020—asignificantdragonAmericanlivingstandards.

Bymostmeasuresthedollarisalreadyundervalued,butexperiencesuggeststhatitwillneedtofallfurtherstilltocutthedeficittoasustainablelevel,say2-3%ofGDP.CapitalEconomics,aLondonresearchfirm,forecaststhatthedollarwillfallto$1.40againsttheeuroandto¥90bytheendof2005.ButitexpectsthedollartorecoveragainsttheBritishpoundto$1.82from$1.93today,asBritishinterestratesarecutinthewakeoffallinghouseprices.

9、Classicalmusicandsocialcontrol

Twilightoftheyobs

Jan6th2005FromTheEconomistprintedition

Howclassicalmusichelpskeeporder

THEquestionofhowtocontrolyobbishbehaviourtroublesmany.Oneincreasinglypopularsolutionisclassicalmusic,whichisapparentlypainfultoteenageears.Co-op,achainofgrocerystores,isexperimentingwithplayingclassicalmusicoutsideitsshops,tostopyouthsfromhangingaroundandintimidatingcustomers.Itseemstoworkwell.Staffhavearemotecontroland“canturnthemusiconifthere'sasituationdevelopingandtheyneedtodispersepeople”,saysSteveBroughtonofCo-op.

Themostextensiveuseofauralpolicingsofar,though,hasbeeninundergroundstations.SixstopsontheTynesideMetrocurrentlypumpoutHaydnandMozarttodetervandalsandloiterers,andtheschemehasbeensosuccessfulthatithasspawnedimitators.AfterapilotatElmParkstationontheLondonUnderground,classicalmusicnowfills30otherstationsonthenetwork.Themosteffectivedeterrents,accordingtoaspokesmanforTransportforLondon,areanythingsungbyPavarottiorwrittenbyMozart.

Whenselectingarecordtodrivepeopleaway,thekeyfactor,accordingtoAdrianNorth,apsychologistatLeicesterUniversitywhoresearcheslinksbetweenmusicandbehaviour,isitsunfamiliarity.Whenthetargetsareunusedtostringsandwoodwind,Mozartwillbesufficient.Butforthemoremusicallyliteratevandal,anatonalbarrageprobablyworksbetter.MrNorthtriedtormentingLeicester'sstudentswithwhathedescribesas“computer-gamemusic”intheunionbar.Itclearedtheplace.

If,however,theaimisnottodispersepeoplebuttocalmthemdown,anythingunfamiliarorchallengingisprobablybestavoided.AttheRoyalBoltonHospital,staffhavebegunplayingclassicalmusicintheaccidentandemergency(A&E)ward,aswellasintheeyewardandthemainreceptionarea.JanetHackin,amatronintheA&Eward,saysthatpatientsdoappearcalmer,“ratherthanrunningaroundanxiousandbleedingallovertheplace”.Butclassicalmusicmightnothavemucheffectontheconsequencesofmoreliberallicensinglaws.“Ifthey'restonedrunkandpastitthenitdoesn'thavemucheffect,”confirmsMsHackin.

10、Sexandacademia

Birdbrained

Jan20th2005FromTheEconomistprintedition

Arewomennaturallybadscientists?

INHISthree-and-a-halfyearsinthejob,thepresidentofHarvardUniversity,LarrySummers,seemstohaveupsetalargenumberofpeople.First,hesaidstudentsweregettingtoomany“A”gradesbecauseofgradeinflation(whichwascorrect).ThenhetookonCornelWest,ablackprofessor,overhisdodgyextra-curricularactivities(again,MrSummershadapoint).Nowhehassuggestedthatoneofthereasonswomenachievelessinscienceandmathsisthattheyhavelessinnateability.

MrSummers'scommentswereofftherecord;buthehassinceconfirmedthathediddrawattentiontothepossibilitythatinnatedifferences,ratherthansocialfactors(suchaseducationandtreatmentintheworkplace)mighthavearoletoplay.Thishasdrawnhowlsofcomplaintfromtheusualquarters.But,scientificallyspeaking,ishecorrect?

Thereiscertainlyevidencetosuggestthattheaveragemaleandfemalebrainsmaybedifferent,withmenbetterableto“systemise”abouttheworldandwomen