Our healthcare costs and parking lot spending are influenced by similar incentives that involve paying per visit or with a lump sum for unlimited use.…
What Economists Say About Wedding Gifts
An economic phenomenon, getting married creates dollar dilemmas for friends that some wedding gift economics can help to solve.…
Brexit: How the UK is Connected
Not necessarily all or nothing, the Brexit alternatives could take the UK to the EU connections selected by Norway, Switzerland, Turkey or Canada.…
Why More Will Be Less At Starbucks
Like newspaper vending machines and theater subscriptions, the design of the new Starbucks rewards system shapes our buying decisions at the margin.…
All-You-Can-Fly at Buffet Airlines
First explained by 19th century economist Alfred Marshall, supply and demand can be explained by our thinking at the margin.…
Why It Takes So Long to Board an Airplane
Although airlines can increase productivity when they board passengers faster, they do not use the most efficient approaches.…
Why We Should Look More Closely At the Size of Our Soda
The 6-ounce bottle of Coke was the king of soda when an upstart company called Pepsi-Cola sold a 12-ounce bottle for the same price. The year was 1934 and the price was 5 cents. Pepsi’s competit…
Gender Issues: The Real Work Home Tradeoffs
Our Monday gender issue focus I can still recall reading Anne-Marie Slaughter’s explanation of why women could not “have it all.” Published almost exactly 2 years ago in The Atlantic…
Starbucks Drive-Through Economics
My new Starbucks has a drive-through. If you look at a high shelf near the window through which the baristas hand the coffee and food to drivers, you see a screen with little cars and numbers. Changin…
The Reason the Price of Gasoline Has That 9/10
If you asked me how much I pay for gas, I would say $3.49 a gallon. Actually, though, the sign says $3.499. And that means, because the gas station rounds up, I am paying $3.50. Doesn’t $3.50 s…