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…
What Chuck E. Cheese Teaches Us About Money
When Chuck E. Cheese changed the kinds of payment cards that kids and their parents used for games and food, they created new spending incentives.…
Disrupting the Movie Industry
With many of us rarely going to a theater, we can see why movie attendance is down and the chance for industry disruption is up.…
The Economics of the Pumpkin Slingshot
For the next bite of a doughnut or the next try at a pumpkin slingshot, economist Alfred Marshall’s marginal analysis helps you decide whether to say yes.…
How Much Healthcare?
When the Netherlands pays for a mother’s first week at home after child birth, we get a message about their healthcare coverage.…
Why a Pasta Pass is About More Than Spaghetti
Selling 21,000 seven week pasta passes, Olive Garden’s never ending pasta promotion is providing unlimited carbs with a hefty serving of economics.…
What the Duck Curve Says About Renewable Energy
Illustrated by the Duck Curve, we have renewable energy problems because solar and wind power need a dependable alternative for the evening’s peak usage.…
Weekly News Roundup
Our weekly news roundup includes Starbucks Rewards and marginal thinking, the opportunity cost of housework, and how clothing affects human capital.…
Weekly Roundup: From the Diner’s Dilemma to Lost Labor
This week’s economic news summary includes the diner’s dilemma and marginal analysis, property rights in outer space, the Phillip’s Curve and unemployment.…
The Diner’s Dilemma: Should You Divide the Check Equally With Friends?
Like the tragedy of the commons, splitting a bill among friends at a restaurant involves an individual’s marginal benefit and the group’s marginal cost.…