price

Making Sen$e Tool$ Tuesday: Tips For Lessening the Pinch at the Pump

By Paul Solman

You may have noticed that gas prices are up rather dramatically, in tandem with the drama in the Middle East and North Africa. No coincidence, obviously. The fear of supply disruptions, sabotaged wells, and turmoil in general have…

Tool$ Tuesday: Tips For Lessening the Pinch at the Pump

By Elizabeth Shell

The Economics of a World Run Riot

By Elizabeth Shell

Is there an economic explanation for the world running riot, especially in North Africa? Maybe, says investment advisor Ed Yardeni, an otherwise pretty consistently conservative economist. He cites distinguished Brandeis University, historian David Hackett Fischer and Fischer's 1996 book, "The…

Author of ‘Cheap’ Answers (More of) Your Questions

Editor’s note: Paul recently sat down with author and professor Ellen Ruppel Shell to discuss her new book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. At the heart of Shell’s premise is the idea that our love of…

Where Are Toxic Assets Now?

Question: TARP was originally proposed to deal with “toxic assets” to unclog the books of financial institutions and prevent them from becoming insolvent. The toxic assets to date have not been bought up, so…

Why Does the London Tube Charge More If You Use a Paper Ticket?

Robert Frank: Why does the public transport system in London charge significantly more for a tube or bus journey if you buy a paper ticket than it does if you use their Oyster prepaid card? In most cities…

Why Do Brides Buy Dresses While Grooms Rent Tuxes?

Robert Frank: Jennifer Dulski had been married for six months when she enrolled in my introductory economics course in 1997, which may explain the topic she chose for one of her two economic naturalist papers: “Why,” she asked, “do…