What We Are Willing to Do For Money

Monetary incentives can influence a decision and distort the information we access for our cost and benefit research.

Debating the Size of the Social Safety Net

If Finland replaces benefits with a monthly check, the tradeoffs for its safety net programs will be domestic and international.

Marriage Markets in China and India

With son preference, limited fertility and social norms, China’s and India’s sex ratios at birth have created a male glut and new marriage markets.

The Cost of Garbage

With landfills, recycling and composting the alternatives, garbage incineration that generates electricity has become increasingly popular.

The Problem With Bovine Burps

Reducing environmental externalities from greenhouse gas emissions involves the methane that cows and other ruminants burp.

Why It’s Tough to Place the Poverty Line

Whether calculating the poverty rate in Rwanda or in the U.S., the income and/or consumption variables you select determine your results.

Why China’s Two-Child Policy Might Not Work

Although China has said it will replace its one-child policy with a two child limit, small families remain a social norm that will be tough to change.

The Impact of a Legendary Economics Curve

Showing the connection between inflation and unemployment, the Phillips Curve has been re-interpreted, re-affirmed and condemned as a monetary policy tool.

Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Workers

One reason we have a labor force participation rate of 62.4 percent is because retirees, students, the disabled and people who care for family do not work.

The Diner’s Dilemma: Should You Divide the Check Equally With Friends?

Like the tragedy of the commons, splitting a bill among friends at a restaurant involves an individual’s marginal benefit and the group’s marginal cost.