No one wants to work anymore? @mayor.nyc.gov offered $30/hour to shovel snow during last week’s blizzard, and people showed up.
Preferences didn’t change. The price of time did.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/nyc-snow-s...
Norway dominated the #WinterOlympics. But who fell short at #MilanoCortina2026?
Using population & income, I quickly estimated how many medals countries should have won & compared it to the final medal table.
There were some surprising underachievers!
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/winter-oly...
The spotlight of last week's #SuperBowl captured Puerto Rican culture. But what do the numbers say about the island’s economy?
Here’s a look at how a quick look at how Puerto Rico compares to the U.S.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/puerto-ric...
I joined The Indicator from @planetmoney.bsky.social to talk about the surprising comeback of Hamburger Helper, and the economic forces behind it.
🎧 Give it a listen: www.npr.org/2026/02/10/n...
Everyone loves the smell of donuts. But what happens when the smell doesn’t fade?
In a Massachusetts town, residents living near a donut production facility are finding out. Their experience turns a classic economics example into something more complicated.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/dunkin-fac...
After a big snowstorm, some major cities around the U.S. see an influx of folding chairs used to claim cleaned-out parking spots, even though the practice often isn't legal.
This week's article explores how economics can explain the famous parking chair: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/parking-ch...
A 10% credit card rate sounds like an obvious fix to record-breaking credit card debt. But interest rates are prices, and price controls have predictable side effects.
This week's article explains why capping rates could hurt the borrowers it’s meant to help: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/a-10-credi...
If you’re curious who’s shaping the current conversation in econ ed, or just want to see where your favorite authors rank, you can read the full open-access article here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
In all seriousness, I wouldn’t be on that list at all if it weren’t for an incredible group of co-authors over the past 10 years.
Special shoutout to @withdra.com and the many others I’ve been lucky to work with!
But we wanted to know who the "rising stars" were in the field. Spoiler: I ended up at the top of the list.
Yes, I helped write the paper. But no, we didn’t expect that going into it.
In fact, I was further down in our original version. Thanks, Reviewer #2!
We ranked scholars by both total citations and an adjusted i10 index to reduce the impact of one-hit wonders and capture consistent contributions.
If you're familiar with the field, you'll recognize the names at the top. They are the giants of econ ed.
The full article is open access if you want to dig into it, but I'll share some highlights below
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
I'm excited to share a new open-access paper I co-authored with Wayne Geerling and Dirk Mateer: Who are the next wave of influential economics educators?
We used 5 years of recent citation data to find out. 🧵
People report stealing more at self-checkout, even as stores make it harder to get away with it. That sounds contradictory until you look at the incentives.
This week’s newsletter uses Gary Becker’s rational model of crime to explain what’s changed.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/when-self-...
Would you rather earn $240,000 in-office or $120,000 remotely?
This week’s post uses that viral debate to explain compensating wage differentials.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/remove-vs-...
Back-to-school resource for econ teachers 📚
I put together a list of Monday Morning Economist articles I assign in my micro class, organized by core concept. Feel free to copy my work.
If you’ve used any in class, I’d love to know which ones worked best.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/how-i-use-...
The inaugural 2025 Janet L. Yellen Award for Excellence in Public Service was awarded to Janet Yellen
International visitors will now pay more to enter some U.S. national parks. Economists call it price discrimination, a strategy we see everywhere once we know how to spot it.
The economics are straightforward, but the fairness debate is not.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/americas-n...
A year-end wrap-up of Monday Morning Economist: the posts that sparked the most conversation, the books I couldn’t stop thinking about, and a thank-you to the readers who made it all so much fun to do each week.
Full reflection here: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/2025
Do people still get holiday bonuses? Watching Christmas Vacation this year made me curious, so I looked at the data.
Who gets bonuses today, what kinds of bonuses still exist, and why firms are cautious about offering them.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/christmas-...
One of the most popular video games of the year is also being called one of the “chillest” PvP shooters, which is not how this genre usually works.
I teamed up with Noah Trudeau to explain why ARC Raiders looks like a game of hawks and doves.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/arc-raiders
Pantone named “Cloud Dancer” as the 2026 Color of the Year. The color is simple, but the economics behind it are not.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/pantone
A comment about dressing nicer on airplanes set off a debate last week. I wrote about why the reaction wasn’t really about clothing, but about the social norms we rely on in crowded spaces and how quickly they shift.
Full story: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/sweats-on-...
That's so cool! Thank you for sharing. I'll be sure to reach out and thank him.
Honestly, that's how most episodes start.
You've got me extra curious now because I don't think any of my classmates ended up at Ohio State (or Oregon State).
Are you comfortable sharing their economics instructor's name? Perhaps they're just a friend of mine!
Feeling thankful for everyone who’s made this newsletter such a rewarding project this year 🙏
Today's special post is full of gratitude, turkey day economics, and a few Substack writers you should absolutely be reading.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/thanksgivi...
It only took us 3 years!
Thanksgiving dinner looks coordinated from the outside, but no one plans the national menu.
This week, I wrote about the spontaneous order behind the holiday meal and the people who make it possible.
www.mondayeconomist.com/p/the-thanks...
Happy to help!
