Looking at activities that range from jaywalking to loading dishwashers, we can see how tight and loose social norms can shape behavior.…
Where People Save A Lot
For many different reasons, the savings rate for our nation and the cash we stash under our mattress can vary considerably.…
Daylight Saving Time Dilemmas
Last weekend, our daylight saving time dilemmas began again as we lost an hour of sleep but gained evening time to shop, exercise and go to athletic events.…
How a Chicken Helped a Pickup Truck
When German farmers got a chicken tax to protect them from U.S. poultry imports in the 1960s, the results were unexpected.…
Grandpa’s Growing Slice of the Income Pie
With aging populations growing in many countries, income distribution tradeoffs will be necessary for pensions, subsidized investments and bonds.…
Greek and German Games
For insight on how Greece and Germany handle the prisoner’s dilemma as they negotiate Greek debt, we can compare their differences and eurozone loyalty.…
When Your Ability to Pay Determines Your Punishment
In Finland, for some traffic violations, the rich have higher fines than those with less because of day fines that are similar to progressive taxation.…
Why We Need Sunday Shopping
To fuel French economic growth, productivity and employment, a controversial law will allow more Sunday shopping but the business/leisure debate continues.…
What An Unemployment Rate Does Not Tell You
A single statistic like the unemployment rate for Japan, the European Union and the U.S. can be misleading until we look more closely at what it represents.…
How To Catch Tax Dodgers With a Lottery
The lottery that Slovakia uses to catch VAT tax dodgers reflects fiscal challenges that eurozone countries like Germany and the Netherlands do not face.…