Why China Will Make a Better Ballpoint Pen

Until Chinese innovation produces better ballpoint pens, the tips for billions of exports will have to be imported from Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

Weekly Roundup: From Santa’s Salary to Holiday Spending

This week’s economic news summary includes Apple’s corporate taxes, Santa’s GDP connection, seasonal spending, the gender gap and the brain and shopping.

Why Apple Should Not Increase Its Tax Bill

Based on a tax code that was made for an industrial age, current corporate taxes that multinationals like Apple could owe need to reflect a digital world.

Weekly Roundup: From Smart Cars to Dumb Laws

This week’s economic news summary includes work week tradeoffs in France, new labor laws for the gig economy, and why price tags are disappearing.

Weekly Roundup: From Lost Jobs to Fewer Tips

Posts Roundup Sunday 10.11.15 Why we stick with a brand…more Monday 10.12.15 The many meanings of the minimum wage…more Tuesday 10.13.15 How a drone port solves road problems…more Wednesday 10.14.15 Development surprises from a new Nobel winner…more Thursday 10.15.15 Finding disappearing jobs…more…

The Downside of Jobs Growth

Looking at U.S job growth and declines, Nobel Laureate Michael Spence says the problem is job growth in the non-tradable sector with less value added.

Weekly Roundup: From Chicken Sandwiches to Budget Gridlock

Our economic news summary includes chicken sandwiches, reefers and the supply chain, the internet and the information infrastructure and the federal budget.

The Most Expensive Way to Make a Chicken Sandwich

In a chicken sandwich are ingredients from around the world that one person can create but the price system gathered them for us at the local supermarket.

What Reefers Have to Do with Stinky Cheese

With more than roads, bridges and railroads, our transportation infrastructure includes the reefers (refrigerated containers) that facilitate globalization.

Weekly Roundup: From Slicing Bread to Saving Honeybees

Our everyday economics includes behavioral economics, commitment devices, environment, supply, regulation, free trade, gender issues and the minimum wage.