New Year’s Resolutions: 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 New Year’s resolutions 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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