Accused of price gouging after Harvey hit Texas, the businesses that raised prices might actually have been helping people.
Demand, Supply, and Markets
Looking at the Southwest Effect
Sometimes invisible, the Southwest Effect has influenced air fares and air traffic since the 1970s when Southwest was a small Texas carrier.
Why Hamilton Fights Bots
Hoping to control Hamilton’s ticket prices, the show’s producers are waging a war against the bots and scalpers that distort supply and demand.
Can a Hurricane Help an Economy?
Before, during and after a natural disaster like Harvey, we have hurricane economics affecting gasoline markets and the GDP.
Why Competitive Eating is About Much More Than Food
When Joey Chestnut guzzles 72 Nathan’s hot dogs in 10 minutes, his competitive eating takes us to much more than food and entertainment.
How College Athletes Are Really Paid
When student athlete pay is replaced by luxurious locker rooms, the market is prevented from allocating money productively.
How Our French Fries Became More Expensive
When the price of your French fries increased during the past decade, one reason was a potato cartel that was rather similar to OPEC.
Why UPS and FedEx Have the Prisoners’ Dilemma
Planning their surcharge policy for the holiday shipping surge, UPS and FedEx each was influenced by the Prisoners’ Dilemma.
How Egg Markets Are Scrambled
The most recent avian influenza outbreak was one of the worst. In the U.S., 32 million egg-laying hens died while one third of Iowa’s egg layers were wiped out. Predictably, egg prices spiked. Yes, no one expected those high prices…
Why the IKEA Effect is About Much More Than Furniture
Rippling far beyond furniture assembly, the IKEA Effect can determine how we value what we construct and cook at home, and design at work.