Actuaries to the rescue? A market-based solution to an externality problem

I promise I'll go back to our regularly scheduled program of topics that are non-gun related soon enough (sneak preview: coming soon will be topics on the economics of the star wars 'death star', state tax subsidies and their effect on business, and an interesting new pricing strategy for drinks in bars), but I ran across a kind of brilliant market-based solution that might bypass some of the trickier gun control issues.  So at least this version of gun control policy is in an area I actually know something about and is more of a standard economic solution to a problem. In a post similarly titled to my earlier post over the weekend, the author presents her son's idea:

Game Theory, Externalities, and Vaccinations

One of the problems with having an economist in your family is that, no matter how hard you try to fight against it, you get sucked into looking for interesting questions about human behavior.  Such is the burden that my wife bears.

Yesterday, our son had his one-year old round of vaccinations at the doctor's office which sparked a question from my wife, Katie.  But first, a little more background:

Internet governance, international trade, and the future of the web

Today in Dubai a meeting will be held that may, in part, shape the direction of the internet in the future.  While we all take for granted now that it's just "there," in actuality the protocols and standards for the internet are governed and directed by policymakers in the U.S. and around the world. 

This article in the Economist lays out the situation quite well:

"THE rules of the internet decide its speed, safety, accessibility, flexibility and unity. They therefore matter not just to computer enthusiasts, but to everyone with a stake in the modern world. On December 3rd officials from more than 150 countries, plus do-gooders, geeks and other interested parties, will meet in Dubai to argue about how to run the network—and fight over who should control it.

Since the internet’s creation, a ragtag bunch of academics, engineers, firms and non-profit outfits have been in charge. That delights innovators but has been a nightmare for the tidy-minded, and especially for authoritarian governments. They would like the net to be run like the world’s telephone system, with tight standards and clearly set charges. The Dubai meeting brings the chance to write new rules, with a review of an elderly treaty: the International Telecommunication Regulations."