Behavioral Economics

December 17, 2018

Almost Everything We Need To Know About Gift Giving

Looking at what we buy and what we return, we can ask an economist and a psychologist for some gift-giving advice about our holiday spending.

December 16, 2018

Why Superstars Dominate the Billboard Hot 100 Chart

For 60 years, Billboard, every week, has ranked the best music. Using sales, radio play, and now streaming, they tell us what we like the most. […]

December 6, 2018

The Economics of Skiing Across Antarctica

Across a 921-mile stretch of Antarctica, two men are racing. Unassisted, each is alone. Unsupported, they are not allowed to receive a food or fuel drop […]

December 2, 2018

Six Facts About How Supermarkets Influence What We Buy

These six facts tell us how our supermarket shopping can be influenced by much more than the shopping list we bring with us.

November 18, 2018

What an Air Quality Index Really Measures

While the Air Quality Index (AQI) is a pollution yardstick, it also can signal if we are controlling the tragedy of the commons.

November 5, 2018

Why It’s Tough to Give (Campaign Finance) Money Away

When Seattle tried using Democracy Vouchers to support campaign finance, the results were not entirely what they had expected.

October 24, 2018

Six Facts: What We Don’t Know About Tipping

Just like tipping wages vary from state to state, so too do arguments from servers, kitchen staff, and restaurant owners for keeping or eliminating them.