Behavioral Economics

August 11, 2014
weekly economic roundup and pension income systems
Published by Elaine Schwartz at August 11, 2014
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Will You Get Your Social Security Benefits?

The 2014 Social Security Trustees Report says that after we deplete the remains of the program's trust funds in 2033, payroll taxes will not provide all promised benefits.

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July 7, 2014
Indian development and tradeoffs from roads and cars
Published by Elaine Schwartz at July 7, 2014
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The Difference Between India's Stories and Statistics

There is a village in Southern India called Kadapakkam. It had been a home to farmers and fishermen whose thatched huts had no running water and no electrical appliances. At traditional tea shops […]

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June 12, 2014
stock market activity and World Cup
Published by Elaine Schwartz at June 12, 2014
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The Impact of World Cup Soccer On Stock Markets

“Amongst all unimportant subjects, football is by far the most  important.” Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) European Central Bank researchers have hypothesized that World Cup Soccer […]

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June 11, 2014
Prius Purchases Could Reflect Conforming to a Local Social Norm
Published by Elaine Schwartz at June 11, 2014
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Prius Purchases and Conspicuous Conservation

Our Wednesday Environment Focus Reporting that Prius was the top selling car in California, Bloomberg said the reason was tough emissions standards. I wonder… In a 2011 paper, […]

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May 27, 2014
In the major sports leagues and for golf, there is a top 1% and income inequality that can be measured with Gini Coefficients.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at May 27, 2014
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The Income Inequality That Doesn't Bother Us

When people talk about the top 1%, they are probably not thinking about NY Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter or Seattle’s MLS forward, Clint Dempsey. For 2014, Jeter signed a […]

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May 21, 2014
Cost and benefit balance change for dealing with global warming if it creates a national security threat.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at May 21, 2014
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An Unexpected Cost of Climate Change?

Our Wednesday Environment Focus By Madeleine Vance, guest blogger and student at Kent Place School; edited by Elaine Schwartz Global Warming has become more than just a […]

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May 20, 2014
Technological innovation might have slowed but we could be due for a spurt.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at May 20, 2014
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Production Possibility Frontiers: Entering (and Exiting) a Discovery Void

After technological innovation multiplies, might the pace of discovery slow down? Think of the history of antibiotics. Starting with the Sulfa drugs that were first discovered during […]

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May 15, 2014
Experience of a babysitting co-op with scrip provides a monetary policy lesson and a debate
Published by Elaine Schwartz at May 15, 2014
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The Monetary Policy Mistakes of a Babysitting Co-op

There once was a French economist whose name was Say. Proclaiming that “Supply Creates Its Own Demand,” Jean-Baptiste Say (1767-1832) entered economic history with Say’s Law. All he meant was that workers […]

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May 14, 2014
The externalities created by attempts at energy efficiency can be positive or negative.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at May 14, 2014
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Energy Efficiency Surprises

Our Wednesday Environmental Issue: Trying to optimize energy efficiency, we might have unexpected results. First, where we live… Referring to an environmentally friendly community where he once lived, New Yorker writer […]

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May 6, 2014
Gary Becker opened a new world when he used economics to study human behavior
Published by Elaine Schwartz at May 6, 2014
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The Rotten Kid Theorem and Other Gary Becker Ideas

Gary Becker image courtesy of University of Chicago. All too often, if you say you are looking at the economics of the family, people assume you […]

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