Neoliberalism: What is it anyway?

When I arrived on the Puget Sound campus over two years ago, I experienced a bit of a culture shock. Originally hailing from Southern California, an area typified by strict political conservatives, I always felt out of place as the token democrat. Arriving at Puget Sound, I was astonished by the diversity of ideas, scholarship, and beliefs that have come to characterize this school for me. During my first few weeks at the school, I befriended more then a few Cultural Marxists who introduced me to the canonical literature of the field. My quiver of critical theory terminology quickly expanded, Continue reading Neoliberalism: What is it anyway?

Supplying into the Void: The Unusual Characteristics of the Market for Blog Posts

Every day, content is posted all over the internet that receives little to no attention. Every day, another hopeful blogger posts another product review or anecdote or creative endeavor, only to check their blog stats and find no record of visitors. And yet, many bloggers just keep posting. This is not a plea for more readers to come to this blog (although that certainly would not be unwelcome), but a simple statement of fact. The market for blog posts is not in equilibrium; there is a surplus, and it grows larger by the day. How is this possible? Why does Continue reading Supplying into the Void: The Unusual Characteristics of the Market for Blog Posts

There’s No $ In Team: Columbus Crew Heads to Austin

Sports teams move all the time. From football to basketball to hockey to baseball, if team owners aren’t getting the public funding they want, they will threaten to leave or actually relocate to get what they want. Last week, Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt announced that the team will relocate to Austin if it fails to get a new stadium. This is a demonstration that Major League Soccer is no different from the big four. This topic is actually in the same vein as my post last week about Amazon. Much like the way that big corporations can threaten to Continue reading There’s No $ In Team: Columbus Crew Heads to Austin

Rap Your Mind Around These Reservation Prices

About a year after I declared my economics major, my friend Austin introduced me to a piece of the internet I’d never before seen…economics raps. The first one he showed me was called “Fear the Boom and Bust” and features Keynes and Hayek battling over how to respond to economic crises. The creators, John Papola and economist Russ Roberts, actually ended up producing a second video, featuring lyrics such as: [Keynes] We could’ve done better had we only spent more. Too bad that only happens when there’s a world war… [Hayek] The lesson I’ve learned: it’s how little we know The world is complex, not Continue reading Rap Your Mind Around These Reservation Prices

Where capital goes to die: Examining the Greek Anarchy movement

Exarcheia is a small neighborhood in Athens, Greece that is for the most part unknown to foreigners. It’s dilapidated buildings and abundance of graffiti don’t characterize a welcoming environment, especially to those unfamiliar with the area. This area however isn’t an impoverished neighborhood or an abandoned suburb but is an entire space of ideological opposition in the form of an anarcho-communist movement. Home to a thriving community of far-left intellectuals, artists, and counter-cultural leaders, this neighborhood is contains several anarchist “squats” or abandoned government buildings that now house refugees, the poor, and victims of the Greek economic collapse. These set-ups Continue reading Where capital goes to die: Examining the Greek Anarchy movement

Not Cutting It: Corporate Subsidies Abound as Amazon Looks for HQ2 Spot

Today is the deadline for cities to propose their bids to Amazon in hopes of hosting their new headquarters. The ever-growing corporation promises “up to 50,000 jobs paying an average of $100,000”, and cities all over the United States and Canada want this boost in their economy. All of the cities making a bid can be found here. But what price will these cities pay to get it? Corporate subsidies, or breaks on taxes and other concessions, is what city governments use to entice a company into setting up operations there. Is this big spending worth it for the long-term Continue reading Not Cutting It: Corporate Subsidies Abound as Amazon Looks for HQ2 Spot

Time for a Change: Americans Support a Carbon Tax

Let’s start this article off by saying, while I can’t say that scientists have proved climate change is real (nobody can really prove anything, even economists and scientists), I think the evidence is convincing enough that even if only 97% of scientists believe in anthropogenic climate change, we should probably still do something about it. 81% of climate economics experts believe that a market solution is critical, given that climate change has been called “the greatest market failure the world has seen,” by Nicholas Stern, an economist and climate researcher. Essentially, there are three economic problems occurring with regard to climate Continue reading Time for a Change: Americans Support a Carbon Tax

Western Colonialism, a Pacific Island, and Property Rights

The Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is a remote, 8.1 square mile island nation that is located in the Micronesian archipelago. Approximately 200 miles East of Kiribati, the island was originally settled around 1000 BC by the Micronesian and Polynesian people. They remained isolated on the island for nearly 3000 years until in the late 1700’s a British whaling ship, captained by John Fearn, discovered the island and gave it its original name, Pleasant Island. It wouldn’t be until 1888 that the island would see its next visitors when Germany annexed the island nation, as part of Continue reading Western Colonialism, a Pacific Island, and Property Rights

Life on the Margin: How to Make Optimal Decisions and Maximize Utility

Anyone who has taken an introductory Economics course has probably heard that optimal decisions are made at the margin. This is a foundational concept in Economics, but it can be confusing for those who are unfamiliar with Economics jargon. What is the margin? How do you know if a decision is optimal? Here is an example to illustrate the concept: Consumer A has some free time and wants to figure out how to spend it. A new episode of a television show she likes has just become available to stream. It would take an hour of her time to watch Continue reading Life on the Margin: How to Make Optimal Decisions and Maximize Utility

Brandless Part 2: Tasteless Or Ostentatious?

This week’s post will be about my review of the food I ordered from Brandless, along with my revised thoughts on this quirky online company. For context, my previous post about Brandless can be found here. My classmates and fellow writers on this blog helped clarify for me why this website gives us such an odd feeling, and what it says about the consumption behaviors of millennials today. But first, my review. Last Wednesday, I made an order on Brandless’s website. They offer a $3 shipping cost on your first order, compared to the regular $9 shipping. (Once I placed Continue reading Brandless Part 2: Tasteless Or Ostentatious?