What We Can Learn From Big Mac Prices

Based on the January 2017 Big Mac Index, we can get the most burger for our buck in Egypt. At the equivalent of $1.46, an Egyptian Big Mac is less than one-third the $5.06 U.S. price. On the other hand, a Big Mac…

How a Chicken Helped a Pickup Truck

When German farmers got a chicken tax to protect them from U.S. poultry imports in the 1960s, the results were unexpected.

Weekly Roundup: From Traffic Congestion to Job Evaluation

Our everyday economics includes central planning, unintended consequences, comparative advantage, transportation infrastructure, cost & developing nations.

The Deal That a Chinese Firm Could Not Refuse

Displaying a shift in comparative advantage, some Chinese textile manufacturers are locating their factories the the U.S. rather than China.

What Would David Ricardo Say About Your Sneakers?

While the uniforms, boots and other items worn by the military are supposed to be 100% “Made in the USA,” exceptions are okay if we cannot make what they need. Athletic shoes became one of those exceptions when the Defense…

A Trade Dispute About My Washing Machine

I suspect that my new LG washing machine was more expensive than it should have been. Made by a South Korean firm, this washing machine (and others like it) was the target of a complaint that Whirlpool filed with the US Department…

What Can We Learn From Downton Abbey Economics?

Downton Abbey can tell us a lot about the British economy…but not everything. We know the aristocracy is struggling. Many of the 700 families who had controlled 80% of all acreage during the 1870s faced financial collapse 50 years later.…