Environment

June 5, 2015
It's Tough To Solve the Poaching ProblemNeither the market nor a regulatory approach has solved the problem of poaching in Africa.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at June 5, 2015
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A Poaching Problem that Regulation Hasn’t Solved

The market solutions and regulatory approaches used to solve the problem of elephant poaching have not worked for wildlife conservation in Africa.

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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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December 26, 2014
A part of the money supply, currency wears out, is shredded and then recycled or destroyed.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at December 26, 2014
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How the Fed Solves the Old Money Problem

Part of keeping the money supply at the right level involves the Fed monitoring the paper money that enters circulation and recycling cash that leaves it.

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December 22, 2014
Everyday economics and the cost of cheap parking.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at December 22, 2014
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The Seven Ways We Pay For Free Parking

Including congestion, wasted gas, time and emissions, cheap parking creates negative externalities that variable pricing of parking spaces can eliminate.

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November 30, 2014
Everyday Economics — Oil stories
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 30, 2014
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Three Graphs That Tell the Whole Oil Story

Following the law of supply, U.S. shale oil firms will lower output because OPEC is letting price plummet but airlines on demand side like lower prices.

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November 13, 2014
Everyday Economics: Because water is not a public good, neither Ireland nor Detroit need provide it without charging.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 13, 2014
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Should Water Be Free?

Although protestors in Detroit and Ireland say water is a human right, economists, citing a definition of a public good and a tornado alarm, would disagree.

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November 10, 2014
More people vote when they believe it is a social norm.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at November 10, 2014
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The Difference That a Sticker Makes

Because "I Voted" stickers indicate voting is a social norm, like paying taxes or saving electricity, people are more likely to act like their neighbors.

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October 14, 2014
Everyday economics of LED bulbs
Published by Elaine Schwartz at October 14, 2014
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The Unexpected Consequences of More Efficient Lighting

Like 19th century English coal, more efficient and cheap LED lights can mean people and businesses use it more because of the lower opportunity cost.

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August 27, 2014
Everyday Economics: With opportunity cost, planners can decide how much natural disaster preparation is worth the tradeoff.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at August 27, 2014
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The Costs of Being Prepared for a Natural Disaster

Whereas natural disaster preparation can save lives, it might have too high an opportunity cost to make sense or be a ShakeAlert that has been proven.

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August 4, 2014
The spread of refrigeration in China will create positive and negative externalities that relate to productivity, diet, health and the environment.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at August 4, 2014
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The Spillover from Refrigerators in China

The spread of refrigeration in China has positive and negative externalities that relate to household diets, greenhouse gases and transport and home waste.

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July 28, 2014
Calculating the GDP involves many decisions and using it can be controversial as in Greece.
Published by Elaine Schwartz at July 28, 2014
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Why the GDP is Much More Than a Number

Seemingly just a statistic, how we calculate the GDP and how it is used can be controversial and affect the lives of millions of people.

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