Patriarchs, Proclamations and Procreation, or What Professors Do on Their Sabbaticals

Students–and the rest of the world–often wonder why academics are awarded sabbatical leaves when no one else seems to have this benefit.  Well, the idea of a sabbatical is to give a faculty member time away from other responsibilities, including teaching, so they can advance their professional development.  Sabbaticals are thus typically periods of focused research. In this post, I share the example of my 2019 sabbatical in Paris. I spent this sabbatical at the Centre Population et Développement located at the Université Paris Descartes.  There, I worked with  Christophe Guilmoto (demographer) and Sara Tafuro (economist), scholars researching “missing women,” Continue reading Patriarchs, Proclamations and Procreation, or What Professors Do on Their Sabbaticals

Wealth Inequality Part 2

This is a post is part of my continuing coverage of wealth inequality Wealth Inequality is one of the largest issues facing societies around the world today, with the consequences being societal unrest and dissolution. The true scale of wealth inequality is almost hard to imagine with disparities growing increasingly large. There are multiple ways scholars/policy makers have suggested to decrease wealth inequality, but I am going to focus on two direct ones: taxing wealth, and taxing inheritance. Wealth taxes, as discussed in the previous post, are direct taxes on the assets on citizens of a country. Inheritance taxes are Continue reading Wealth Inequality Part 2

An Economic Case for Government News

In the current media landscape it can feel as if there is no escape from clickbait/hyperbole, fake news, and sensationalism. These problems seem so large that many are demanding grand government, or private sector solutions such as censorship and monitoring of news/news-like creations.  However, if we look to the past there is a much easier method for correcting some of the model day problems: publicly funded news. In the early 1900s many newspapers engaged in tactics of story fabrication/embellishment, cheap gimmicks, and badly sourced stories, in order to engage audiences. These papers, called yellow papers, were then sold for a Continue reading An Economic Case for Government News

Op-Ed: The Swamp needs Draining

Disclaimer: We all know the bureaucracy and have formed our own opinions. The author (that’s me!) has decided that he doesn’t like most bureaucracies. Therefore, the views expressed in this article are his and do not reflect the stance of Sound Economics at large. If you are a fan of bureaucracies, and/or you think this article may hit a little close to home, simply click on over to Brennan’s fantastic piece on umbrella usage. If you feel as though the above qualifiers do not apply to you, I welcome you with great excitement to continue along with me now and read Continue reading Op-Ed: The Swamp needs Draining

Should You Use a Umbrella?

Disclaimer: none of the views expressed in this post should be taken too seriously The answer is pretty simple if you live in most of the United States: yes, you should use an umbrella. However, if you are living in Washington, you need to factor in the weird weather patterns and the social ridicule. These are both important elements that can affect your choice in attire/accessories to deal with the weather. In Washington we have about three types of rain: a little stronger than a drizzle, a decent rain, and “its-below-freezing-oh-dear-god-why-can’t-it-just-snow-this-is-so-much-worse.” It is important to note that in Washington you Continue reading Should You Use a Umbrella?

A Taste for Cohabitation

In the past couple of decades the U.S. has seen a shift away from marriage, and towards cohabitation. The declining rate of marriages can be contextualized by the declining rate of religious worship given that marriage often a primarily religious act. However, marriage is also an economic act as married couples can enjoy benefits such as shared insurance benefits, shared pension/retirement benefits, shared social security, and tax benefits. These economic benefits are mostly marriage specific as common-law marriage is not very common in the U.S. This means that we can view these benefits as economic incentives to get married under Continue reading A Taste for Cohabitation

The Economics of Menstrual Hygiene Management

Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is closely related to the economic growth of less developed countries (LDCs). Yet over 500 million women and girls globally still lack access to facilities and materials for adequate MHM. The silence, taboo, and stigma associated with menstruation often make it difficult to maintain good hygiene and limit women’s and girls’ potential in society. Restrictions during menstruation, from staying home from school or temple to having to sleep outside, and the lack of adequate washroom access in LDCs have affected women’s and girls’ likelihood to attend school. While this is first a sanitation matter, it is Continue reading The Economics of Menstrual Hygiene Management