viewing the world through the lens of economics
Happy holidays and Merry Christmas! Do you struggle with getting the right gift? Maybe it’s because of utility! Kathryn and Kenzi discuss how economics helps us understand why giving gifts is just so hard and why every gift exchange should include socks.
Music Credit: https://www.purple-planet.com
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By Tina Tomas (Creighton University)
Widely regarded to be one of the best shows in television history, Friends is about three young men and three young women who face life and love in New York. Following these six through the tumults of dating, marriage, divorce, kids, and career changes, the show makes us laugh.
Continue reading “The One Where Tina Explains the Economics Behind Friends”
By Jessica Feese (Creighton University)
Anyone looking to buy a bookstore? Recent news has it Barnes & Noble is on the lookout to sell. Barnes & Noble enthusiasts may treat this as the end of the world, but just look at the facts: Barnes & Noble (B&N) is a company that sells elastic goods. In other words, there are a lot of substitutes to the company, books are a luxury, and time is money. And demand for books from Barnes & Noble has been slowly decreasing. As proven by Fortune.com, “the company’s market value is around $400 million, down about 80% from its 2006 all-time high about $2 billion”. Continue reading “Barnes & Noble or Barnes & No More?”
Working in restaurants, sweet talk paid my rent. Sweet talk ensured a good dining experience despite the $200 bottle of wine. It was particularly lucrative when the sweet talk was so good they opted for a second bottle. Or, that five-star dessert adding another $50 to the check. Sweet talk wasn’t only directed at customers. I used sweet talk to persuade managers or fellow servers to put me in good sections or let me go home early. Continue reading “Let Me Sweet Talk You Into Reading This”
What’s your favorite breakfast food? In this episode of Katallaxy, Kathryn and Kenzi discuss the elasticities of breakfast. After this episode, Kenzi is debating whether she needs to hold an intervention for Kathryn’s obsession with bacon. Listen in to discover just one more way economics applies to your daily life.
Continue reading “Bacon and Elasticities”
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By Clayton Dines (Creighton University)
Once upon a time, college was considered a guaranteed ticket to career success. But these days, many college graduates enter the real world with a degree in one hand and a massive amount of student loan debt weighing them down in the other. A college degree can be a great tool for career advancement but it comes at a very high cost – tuition, time, (and for some) your mental sanity. So in this post, I ask the very important question: is a college education worth the investment? Continue reading “Maxing Out: The Value of College”
Kathryn and Kenzi invite you to listen to ReasonablEconomics’ very first podcast. They share stories, advice, commentary on recent events, and lots of economic jargon. Leave your comments below: feedback is necessary for the growth and development of any functioning society, as Adam Smith says! Continue reading “Online Dating and Economics”
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Recently a friend and I were ranking creepiest love songs. The beautiful, but haunting “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley was mentioned as a runner-up. I suggested that really anything by the ever-angsty Death Cab for Cutie qualified. But we ended up agreeing that “Every Breath You Take” by the Police takes the cake. He may only be able to see her in his dreams, but there’s a good chance she should only see him in court to file a restraining order. Continue reading “Every Breath You Take: Smith’s Creepy, Yet Impartial Spectator”
