Behavioral Economics

March 19, 2015
Weekly Economic News Roundup and the political center
Published by Elaine Schwartz at March 19, 2015
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Six Ways to Make Government Better

One of many examples in Peter Schuck's new book, the Social Security program shows how government can be successful and also why it "fails so often."

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February 26, 2015
Everyday economics and marriage trafeoffs
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 26, 2015
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Tradeoffs and Marriage: Like a Horse and Carriage

As the pill, education and employment opportunities changed the value of women as wives, the tradeoffs that relate to being married have also changed.

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February 24, 2015
Everyday economics and the positive externalities of childhood vaccination have an economic impact.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 24, 2015
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The Vaccine Benefits That No One Talks About

With better school attendance and learning, and then higher work productivity, the positive externalities of childhood vaccination have an economic impact.

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February 20, 2015
everyday economics and the birth rate
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 20, 2015
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Part 2: What To Do When More People Are Old

Facing an aging population and more entitlements, countries that are encouraging more births to expand the labor force might be creating a bigger problem.

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February 19, 2015
Everyday economics and Aging populations and birth rates
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 19, 2015
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Part 1: What To Do When More People Are Old

As population shifts, developed nations will have redistribution decisions as the proportion of the non-working aged and the young need more labor income.

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February 17, 2015
Everyday economics and Identifying the economic consensus and how average Americans disagree.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 17, 2015
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How Much Do Average People Agree With Economists?

Average Americans disagree with the economic consensus for many issues according to surveys from the University of Chicago Booth School.

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February 13, 2015
richest billionaires
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 13, 2015
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Pondering the Bunker Hill Theory of Inflation

As the source of monetary policy, the Federal Reserve has to decide if interest rates should rise when inflation is low but a jobs recovery has begun.

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February 9, 2015
Everyday economics and human capital formation
Published by Elaine Schwartz at February 9, 2015
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One Reason We Can’t Believe in Innate Talent

Limiting potential economic growth, the myth of innate talent in disciplines like philosophy diminishes the pool of female and Afro-American human capital.

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January 21, 2015
consumer spending history
Published by Elaine Schwartz at January 21, 2015
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Can Economists See the Hot Hand?

With implications that extend beyond sports, believers in classical economics and in behavioral economics are debating whether players can have streaks.

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January 20, 2015
everyday economics, behavioral economics and saving less
Published by Elaine Schwartz at January 20, 2015
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How Chocolate Chip Cookies Explain Why We Save Less

Explained by behavioral economics, we save relatively little for retirement because of intertemporal selfishness and seeing our future selves as strangers.

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January 15, 2015
Our Weekly Economic News Roundup and shrinking middle class
Published by Elaine Schwartz at January 15, 2015
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A Mystery: Trying to Find the Middle Class

While everyone refers to the middle class and most of us say we are in the middle class, few know the characteristics of the group to which they refer.

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