Economy Dec 30 Social media trend encourages young people to buy less and reconsider their consumption By Paul Solman, Layla Quran
Arts Mar 24 Watch 5:54 How a couple in rural Indiana uses art to combat consumerism and waste A husband and wife duo are raising awareness about consumerism through their art — and making a living in the process. Special correspondent Cat Wise traveled to rural Indiana to meet them and see their art farm. By Cat Wise, Anne Azzi Davenport
Economy Sep 21 Column: I, too, once sought refuge As Syrian refugees traverse through Hungary, economist John Komlos recalls his own journey as a Hungarian refugee in 1956 and urges the United States to take in more Syrian refugees. By John Komlos
Economy Sep 10 Watch 8:10 Why we crave what’s cool What does it mean to be cool? It's a means of standing out, as well as a way of fitting in. In studying the brain, economists have found that when we consume products from status brands, it actually gives us… By PBS News Hour
Economy Sep 10 How the rebel, the beatnik and the hipster became their own status symbols Did a shift in consumerism in the 1950s change the way we view cool?… By Steve Quartz
Sep 09 Why buying things makes you happy By Steve Quartz From pop songs to Pope Francis, consumerism is often denounced as a poison that thwarts genuine happiness, hampers political participation and erodes social connections. But is it really that bad?… Continue reading
Jun 09 Will the new killer ‘butler app’ kill our ability to fend for ourselves? By Paul Solman By completing your to-do list, Hello Alfred claims to give you back time for leisure. But do outsourcing apps simply open up more time for us to be imprisoned in other ways?… Continue reading
Dec 25 What are your Christmas gifts worth to you? By Simone Pathe Those gifts you opened this morning -- they're worth less to you than the gift-giver paid for them, no doubt. That's the deadweight loss of Christmas for you. But plenty of economists are saying "bah, humbug" to economic rationality and… Continue reading
Sep 25 What contemporary capitalism needs to learn from fairy tales By David Bosworth Six years ago, during the fall of 2008, the financial world was unraveling. But the origins of the Great Recession weren't simply monetary; they were moral, argues University of Washington professor David Bosworth. And yet, virtual America continues to miss… Continue reading