Author: Ted Fischer
Measures for the Good Life: Stated Preferences and the Greater Good
The goal of the economy, politics, and social institutions should be to promote wellbeing among people as broadly as possible. Yet, the questions remain: what exactly is wellbeing?…
Measures for the Good Life: Stated Preferences and the Greater Good
The goal of the economy, politics, and social institutions should be to promote wellbeing among people as broadly as possible. Yet, the questions remain: what exactly is wellbeing?…
Measures for the Good Life: Stated Preferences and the Greater Good
The goal of the economy, politics, and social institutions should be to promote wellbeing among people as broadly as possible. Yet, the questions remain: what exactly is wellbeing?…
Merle Hazard on the Fed’s Dual Mandate
Merle Hazard’s new single, Dual Mandate, entertains and elucidates as he explains the Federal Reserve’s core tension: “Rich folks like to see the currency strong / But the…
Merle Hazard on the Fed’s Dual Mandate
Merle Hazard’s new single, Dual Mandate, entertains and elucidates as he explains the Federal Reserve’s core tension: “Rich folks like to see the currency strong / But the…
Merle Hazard on the Fed’s Dual Mandate
Merle Hazard’s new single, Dual Mandate, entertains and elucidates as he explains the Federal Reserve’s core tension: “Rich folks like to see the currency strong / But the…
Cash, Credit, or The Good Life
When shopping, we behave differently when we pay in cash versus when we use a card (credit, debit, or gift). This is one of those everyday anomalies that…
Cash, Credit, or The Good Life
When shopping, we behave differently when we pay in cash versus when we use a card (credit, debit, or gift). This is one of those everyday anomalies that…
Cash, Credit, or The Good Life
When shopping, we behave differently when we pay in cash versus when we use a card (credit, debit, or gift). This is one of those everyday anomalies that…
Measures of Happiness and Wellbeing
Who are the happiest people in the world? In what countries do we find the highest life satisfaction? These are different questions, with different answers. Cheery contentment (hedonic…
Downsides to Thrift: Germans Saving Too Much Water
Germans need to flush their toilets more often, says Hans-Jürgen Leist, a scientist at the Ecolog Institute in Hanover, as quoted in a Wall Street Journal article. In…
German Lessons
Not so long ago Germany served as a cautionary example for the Anglo-American economies. After the success of the post-war economic mirac…
Brazil’s Middle Class and the Price of Coffee in New York
It looks like Brazil will surpass the U.S. this year as the world’s biggest consumer of coffee. The Wall Street Journal reports that this is driving up global…
The Political Economy of Malnutrition
Almost half of Guatemalan children under five are malnourished, the vast majority rural Maya kids. This is a hidden human tragedy of epic proportions, each of these lives…
The Moral Obligations of Corporate Tax Avoidance
Milton Friedman, the free-market economist whose perspective defined the Chicago School, famously held that managers’ absolute ethical obligation is to maximize returns for stockholders. To do otherwi…
What We Do Not Always What We Want
Customers hate Spirit airlines. Passengers routinely swear they will never fly it again; it ranks dead last in airline consumer satisfaction. Everything costs extra–the seats don’t even recline.…
Intrinsic Motivations and a Secret of the Good Life
In the Sunday NY Times, Amy Wrzensniewski and Barry Schwartz argue that the secret of success is internal versus instrumental motivation. They find that being driven by intrinsic…