Economic History

August 13, 2015

The Values That Make Us Spend More

For major OECD countries and the U.S., the source and destination for healthcare spending reflect national values about limited government.

August 12, 2015

How to Deal With Skyscraper Shadows

Whenever a new skyscraper is built, we can ask whether its shadow violates our property rights when it eliminates the sunlight in a city's parks.

August 3, 2015

The Reason We Should Drive Around in Circles

As we improve our transportation infrastructure, the roundabout has become increasingly attractive because of safety, ease and cost.

August 2, 2015

The World’s Sanitation Gap

A production possibilities graph can display the land, labor and capital underutilization that inadequate sanitation creates and indicate a constrained GDP.

July 29, 2015

Paying More at the Gas Pump

Because of a low gasoline tax, the Highway Trust Fund does not have enough money to maintain the transportation infrastructure of highways and mass transit.

July 28, 2015

How Much Your Sleep Costs You

Personal income relates to how long we sleep. Less sleep can diminish the productivity that brings a higher wage. But also, less sleep means more work time.

July 24, 2015

The Real Eurozone Problem

Although people in the eurozone want a single currency and their leaders want unity, monetary union problems create political distrust and disunity.

July 23, 2015

Exposing What You Hide in Your Garbage

Weighing cost and benefit for Seattle's recycling environmental regulation involves privacy, dollars, time, and respect for the law and our environment.

July 22, 2015

Why a Hungry Country Might Have Enough Food

Focusing on production and distribution, economists look at the role of markets and of government when they try to determine what causes and ends famines.

July 17, 2015

The Wright Moment for the Bicycle

As an innovation, the bicycle was a stepping stone that helped human capital move onward to other inventions like the airplane, the auto and better roads.

July 15, 2015

Taylor Swift Gives Apple a Little Taste of Capitalism

By asking Apple to pay her and other artists when customers get their music for free displays Taylor Swift's understanding of the basics of capitalism.