The Downside of Bargain Hunting
New research suggests people spend their money on material goods out of the belief that, compared to experiential purchases such as vacations, they provide better value for their money.
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Economics
2699 posts
Investing in Human Capital, Literally
In what’s been criticized as a modern-day version of indentured servitude, a new batch of start-ups are giving investors the opportunity to turn people into profit by buying a piece of their future earnings. Could this be a solution to our student debt problem?
How Can Hotels Get People to Reuse Dirty Towels?
When it comes to driving pro-environmental behavior, provincial norms are the most effective.
Why Income Inequality Will Likely Keep Getting Worse
Embracing a system based on maximizing the returns to private owners of capital is a mistake for the great majority of working people.
The Dead Are Wealthier Than the Living: Capital in the 21st Century
Patrimonial capitalism—and the landed or urban gentry living off of inherited wealth—was dealt a mortal blow by the Great Depression and World Wars. But it's making a comeback, and the only way to stop it might be a worldwide tax on capital.
Can a Song’s Lyrics Predict Its Commercial Success?
New textual analysis of Billboard Hot 100 hits shows that certain themes are more likely to be No. 1.
Do We Need to Force People to Live in the Homes They Own?
With more and more individual investors looking to real estate as just another money-making commodity to add to their portfolio, rents are being driven to unreachable heights for all but the wealthiest among us.
Permanently Temporary: The Truth About Temp Work in America
Today’s blue-collar temp laborers face abuses similar to those of migrant farmworkers depicted in the iconic 1960 CBS documentary Harvest of Shame.
The Business of Higher Education: What We Miss by Looking Only at Balance Sheets
The generation of knowledge by professors. The transformative conversations that happen outside of the classroom. The advancements in our understanding of society. How can you put a value on any of these things?