Elaine Schwartz
3641 Articles91 Comments

Elaine Schwartz has spent her career sharing the interesting side of economics. At the Kent Place School in Summit New Jersey, she was honored with an Endowed Chair in Economics. Just published, her newest book, Degree in a Book: Economics (Arcturus 2023), gives readers a lighthearted look at what definitely is not “the dismal science.” She has also written and updated Econ 101 ½ (Avon Books/Harper Collins 1995) and Economics: Our American Economy (Addison Wesley 1994). In addition, Elaine has articles in the Encyclopedia of New Jersey (Rutgers University Press) and was a featured teacher in the Annenberg/CPB video project “The Economics Classroom.” Beyond the classroom, she has presented Econ 101 ½ talks and led workshops for the Foundation for Teaching Economics, the National Council on Economic Education and for the Concord Coalition. Online for more than a decade. econlife has had one million+ visits.

An Artist Who Made Money

As an artist, a forger, or both, J.S.G. Boggs has made museums, colleges, Scotland Yard and the U.S. Secret Service decide what is fake money.

How Credit Scores Complicate Love

To find out if a relationship will last, you can ask the New York Federal Reserve Bank about credit cards and assortative mating.

The Armyworm Attacks in Zambia

Micro-insurance that protects African farmers from infestations and drought can have a surprising impact on their willingness to invest.

How Much Healthcare?

When the Netherlands pays for a mother’s first week at home after child birth, we get a message about their healthcare coverage.

A World Trade Snapshot

Asked to name top state imports, we might say cars. For Wisconsin though the right answer is sweaters. A second surprise? Medicine is #1 on Washington D.C.’s import list. The Ins and Outs of Trade On a state-by-state basis, the maps that follow give us…

Weekly Roundup: From Smaller Salads to Bigger Bathrooms

Weekly News Roundup Sunday 02.05.17 Solving a tough urban problem… Monday 02.06.17 How paying more means spending less… Tuesday 02.07.17 Where Dodd-Frank is going… Wednesday 02.08.17 When a traffic jam helps business… Thursday 02.09.17 A new way to see a bathroom… Friday 02.10.17 Why…

Another Oil Problem

Affecting millions of salads, there is a European and U.K. produce shortage while the supply of Spanish, Italian and Greek olive oil is also down.

The Real Meaning of Potty Parity

Broadway theater owners have become increasingly concerned with intermission. Where are we going? To the message from the ladies’ restroom. Broadway’s Bathrooms Very much aware that there are far fewer toilets than the number of people who will need them, women rush…

Why One Town Likes a Traffic Jam

The story of a Breezewood, Pennsylvania traffic jam is really about the mysteries created by federal infrastructure spending.

A Dodd-Frank Reality Check

Told there will be a Dodd-Frank review, we can imagine many thousands of pages of rules targeting consumers, financial firms and an entire financial system.