Frequently invisible, the gender inequity we could see in our public policies and product design extends to snow removal and pianos…
Economic Ideas
Much more than money, economics is about tradeoffs. Thinking economically involves cost and benefit, marginal analysis and seeing that there is no free lunch. Econlife tries to convey these economic ideas, which serve as the foundation of economics and help people make decisions personally, professionally and as voters.
Why Did the Pedestrian Cross the Road?
In NYC and in Nantucket, Massachusetts, drivers respond to different incentives because Manhattan has traffic lights while Nantucket does not.…
How To Get Speedier Fast Food
Hoping to increase its drive-thru speed, McDonald’s has begun to use voice recognition technology to compete against other fast food chains.…
How A Working Mother’s Time Use Has Changed
Working mothers have changed the amount of time they spend on the job, and also on household chores, caring for children, sleeping, and leisure.…
Six Facts: Our Global Energy Consumption
The six facts that illustrate our global energy consumption take us to the countries, the growth rates, and the types of energy..…
A Surprising Fast-Food Fact
Although fast-food consumption has been connected to income, recent research indicates the correlation is not what we expect.…
How Legos Discovered It’s Not Easy to be Green
If we want our Legos to match, attach, and detach, we might have to wait awhile for them to develop the appropriate bio-based plastic.…
What a Tax, a Ship, and a Road Can Tell You
Somewhat invisible, time determines whether central bankers and legislators have the accurate statistics that they need for economic policy.…
Why Mapping Apps Create the Prisoner’s Dilemma
The success of a decision to use Waze, Google Maps, and other mapping apps to avoid traffic can depend on outsmarting the prisoner’s dilemma.…
The One Investment That Is (Probably) a Sure Thing
Calculating the value of college involves what we spend, what we sacrifice, what we earn, and some other surprising considerations.…