Economic Ideas

April 25, 2019

Why Healthcare Spending Might Be Less Than We Think

When we look at the cost effectiveness of healthcare spending, we could conclude that it is not as excessive as the headlines indicate.

April 24, 2019

A New Way to Look At Air Rage

Boarding JetBlue recently, a gracious gentleman offered to let me move in front of him. Embarrassed, I refused and explained that my boarding group was “D.” […]

April 23, 2019

The Washing Machine Trade War: The Biggest Loser

Through duties and washing machine tariffs, the U.S. government has created new incentives for manufacturers that harm consumers.

April 22, 2019

Do You Live Where You Should Sleep More?

When we consider the impact of social jetlag on our health and productivity, our sleep time could matter more than we think.

April 21, 2019

The Economic Side of Legal Marijuana

When Massachusetts voters said yes to legal marijuana, they made an economic decision that relates to competition, taxes, and banking.

April 19, 2019

What Misery Indexes Say About Baseball and the World

Whether ranking baseball team fans or a country's unemployment and inflation rates, misery indexes can tell us about people's happiness.

April 18, 2019

Throwback Thursday: Remembering Standard Oil When We Look Forward to Amazon

#TBT: Today's Throwback Thursday looks back to why Standard Oil was divided into 34 companies by the Supreme Court in 1911 and then forward to Amazon.

April 12, 2019

How Shopping For Yogurt is Like Buying a Car

Recent research explains that our yogurt choice fatigue at the supermarket is rather similar to what we experience when buying a car.