Weekly Roundup: From Area Codes to Toilets

This week’s economic news summary included looking at human capital from a health care and college perspective and at area codes as conspicuous consumption.

The Mystery of the Missing Middle Class

Called the middle class, the middle income population is actually the group that is shrinking when it moves up or down the income ladder.

Weekly Roundup: From Slow Shopping to Fast Shipping

Our everyday economics include consumption expenditures, Pigovian taxes, variable pricing,economies of scale, unskilled labor, national income and the money supply.

How Much Would Santa Earn If We Paid Him?

If they tried to include the work that moms and dads do at home, national income accounting statisticians would have a tough time quantifying unpaid work.

The Policy that 600 Economists Support and 500 Oppose

A controversial policy that dates back to 1938, the nominal federal minimum wage has increased from $.25 to $7.25 and is higher in many states and cities.

An Amazing Story From a Graph

Sometimes one graph can tell a whole story:   A 4-minute animation can also convey a much bigger story. Looking at the same time period as our graph, Hans Rosling connects national income and health. National income closely relates to GDP since people receive…