The Economics Of Tinder: An Asymmetric Information Problem

       In a recent podcast on The Indicator from Planet Money, producers Darius Rafieyan and Constanza Gallardo talk about a unique encounter on the dating app Tinder. Here’s the story: Darius matched with a woman named Natasha on the app. The two chatted and got along well so they decided to meet in person at a concert that Natasha was attending. When Darius arrived, he noticed the crowd was mostly young guys that seemed of the same stature and look. About 10 minutes after arriving into this crowd of about 100-150 people, Natasha appeared on stage. She announced Continue reading The Economics Of Tinder: An Asymmetric Information Problem

An economic answer to America’s gun control question

Turn on the news and chances are there will be mention of gun control, gun violence, or something of the like. It’s not too surprising either. Relative to our OECD peers, the U.S. has the highest firearm death rate (10.2 per 100,000 people). These staggering numbers force us to ask the question, why do we still have firearms? Some people will blame government inefficiency, others will blame a strong gun lobby, or the outright failure of democracy. Well, in a way, all three can be blamed. But a more nuanced understanding of the gun control problem can only be explained Continue reading An economic answer to America’s gun control question