Assume your government has $1 to spend on a social safety net. You need to decide who gets what. One way is ROI–the Return On your Investment. Of course we can ask about return through non-dolla…
How Taylor Swift Uses Temptation Bundling
Because album bundles increase our demand for a star’s recordings, they help to propel a song or album to the #1 Billboard spot.…
What the Supreme Court Might Cost Us
The Supreme Court decision on South Dakota’s internet taxes will affect local and online businesses, consumers, and state budgets.…
Why Daylight Saving Time is Good For Us
With Daylight Saving Time (DST) having just begun, we might find that shifting sunlight from the morning to the evening has made us safer.…
What an Economist Would Buy at the Salad Bar
We could say that we are looking at salad bar economics when we compare the price per pound at the salad bar to the produce aisle.…
The Easiest Way to Keep a New Year’s Resolution
Combining our “wants”and “shoulds” into temptation bundling, we wind up with a commitment device that helps us keep our New Year’s resolutions.…
Is Happiness a Good Reason to Host the Olympics?
Not nearly an economic bonanza, the cost to host the Olympics is considerable while the benefit to host is happiness. Is it worth it?…
The Bendy Banana and Other Brexit Issues
Referring to EU regulation, some people say that bendy bananas are one reason to vote “leave” in today’s Brexit vote. Where are we going? To thoughts about regulation and markets. EU…
The Choices That Elevators Make
Assume that you are on the seventh floor waiting for one of three elevators. Car 1 can arrive in 15 seconds but the total wait time will be 25 seconds because it has a stop on the eighth floor. Closer…
Amtrak’s Freight Train Problem
When fast-moving Amtrak trains and slower freight carriers share the same track, we have a railroad transportation problem.…