The reason that we cannot resist limited edition drinks like a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte is diminishing marginal utility.…
Why We Suffer From FOMO
With social media telling us everything our friends are doing and much more, many of us experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).…
How Starbucks Coffee Bean Husks Are Like Perdue Chicken Paws
When previously worthless byproducts like coffee bean husks, chicken paws, and hog snouts became popular, we increased our economic efficiency.…
When Choosing a Salad Is Like Buying a Car
Recent research explains why and when we experience choice fatigue after seeing the alternatives at a salad bar or options at an auto dealer.…
Why HOT Lanes are a Hot Topic
In the high-occupancy toll lanes outside of Washington D.C., you could pay close to $4.00 a mile. Just for a 9-mile stretch along Interstate 66, the toll has totaled $40.00. Should economists applaud?…
Why Flood Insurance Creates Unintended Consequences
Flooding 34 times in 32 years, a $69,000 home in Mississippi received close to $663,000 in payouts. Similarly, for 16 floods in 18 years the owners of a Houston home valued at $115,000 got $800,000. T…
Why the Philadelphia Soda Tax is Fizzling
Like all sin taxes, the Philadelphia sugary drinks tax has had an unpredictable impact on revenue and the alternatives that people select.…
Why We Eat Sliced Apples
Influenced by behavioral nudges, we are more likely to eat an apple that is sliced or to pay our taxes when we hear that everyone does.…
Weekly Roundup: From Bag Fees to Ambulance Meters
Weekly News Roundup Sunday 04.24.16 The incredible impact of self-driving cars…more Monday 04.25.16 The significance of a new skyscraper…more Tuesday 04.26.16 The benefits of bag fees̷…
Weekly Roundup: From Warren Buffett’s Bet to McDonald’s Hamburgers
Our weekly roundup includes productivity and a hamburger assembly line, financial intermediaries and index funds, soda tax incentives and the GMI.…