When coffee drinkers hear that some prices at Starbucks will rise, their response will depend how how elastic their demand is.…
Soda Tax Election Results
Some of us call it soda, others, pop. And even when referring to a drink that is not Coca-Cola, a third group says Coke. The following 2015 map shows where you would say “Pop” and why I sa…
A Brexit Scare From Unilever
Unilever just created a Brexit Scare. Saying its commodity prices are rising while the pound sterling is sinking, Unilever wants to charge 10% more. Britain’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco, i…
The Problem With the Soda Tax
Telling us that Berkeley’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax had fizzled, an August 2015 paper explained why. Where are we going? To the unpredictable impact of a soda tax. The Berkeley SSB Tax…
The Impact of a Minimum Alcohol Price
The Scotch Whisky Association has taken Scotland’s Parliament to court because of a MUP. The goal of the MUP–a Minimum-Unit Pricing law–was to reduce alcohol consumption. Where are …
Weekly Roundup: From Achieving Success to Paying for Dates
Weekly News Roundup Sunday 05.22.16 How healthy labels help firms compete…more Monday 05.23.16 The economic side of dating…more Tuesday 05.24.16 Why sharing train tracks is a problem……
The Power of a Tax Incentive
Deciding if you support cigarette taxes on e-cigarettes depends on whether you think they are a health risk or a weapon in the battle against tobacco.…
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.…
Weekly Roundup: From Sneaker Markets to Housing Markets
Our weekly roundup includes the ups and downs of sneaker and housing markets, how women’s human capital has been wasted and healthcare cost contradictions.…
Weekly Roundup: From Savers to Shoppers
This week’s economic news summary includes sales tax debates,municipal revenue, stock markets and politics, Uber’s externalities, and productivity problems.…