New Year’s Resolutions: The Top Ten Ways to Sound Like an Economist

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to sound like an economist, please remember our econlife Top Ten:

The Top Ten List

#10.

Sounding like a behavioral economist, express dissatisfaction with a gift by refusing to engage in preference falsification.

#9

Saying your airfare included the property behind your seat, defend having reclined into someone’s lap with the merits of ownership.

#8

Discussing income distribution during dessert, mention the size of the pie.

#7

When asked, why you are reading a good book during your workout, just say you are temptation bundling.

#6

Justify your opposition to a South Korean washing machine tariff by repeating, “comparative advantage, comparative advantage…”  and then describing the life of David Ricardo.

#5

Preface a position with, “on the one hand…but on the other, ” being sure to include Harry Truman’s search for the one-handed economic advisor.

#4

Justifying the corporate quest for high prices, you could lecture friends on the law of supply.

#3

Called a cheapskate, you might say you think it important to demonstrate the law of demand.

#2

Asked to debate the benefits of democratic socialism, shift the discussion to the power of the market.

#1

Whatever the question, always smile and answer,“TANSTAFLE.'”

Please send me your Top Ten additions.

In the past, from an econlife top ten reader, we’ve received this top ten suggestion:

To reject any inconvenient fact, “The econometric evidence is not clear on this.”

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