Author Archives: bzscherpel

Most people know about the underrepresentation of women within STEM fields, but most aren’t aware of inequality within the field of economics. Economics is dominated by men with little representation of women as well as racial and ethnic minority groups.  Roughly 25% of all economics faculty are women, with that percentage decreasing to just 15% for full professors. Only about 34% of undergrad economics majors are women. Those percentages have stayed roughly the same since the 90s. One reason for such a lack of representation within the major is that females tend to get discouraged and receive harsher criticism than Continue reading Women in Economics→

Many people spend huge amounts of time and money trying to come up with that “perfect” gift, but is it worth it? Gifts are a way of connecting individuals to one another. Sentimental gifts given between close parties are highly beneficial as well. These gifts have oftentimes the most thought and care put into them. They may not have the most monetary value but they mean the most to the gifter and receiver. Another way gift-giving is highly beneficial is when a gift is given to a recipient who isn’t in a current position to afford said gift. For example, Continue reading Why Gift?→

Designer brands have a choke hold on many Americans with them running to go buy pieces from the latest collections, but why would so many people buy from brands like Gucci or Hermes? Around 38% of Americans bought luxury shoes in 2018 with a large proportion of them not even able to afford their purchases. A completely rational person would always act in their best interest, avoiding debt or making purchases that would better suit their income. However, people don’t act rationally, many people would rather spend thousands of dollars on a luxury branded bag with a similar quality and Continue reading Why so many people buy from designer brands→

3D printers have helped change the manufacturing process by allowing individuals to innovate at home at lower costs and without the need for big factories or hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can make almost anything with a 3D printer as long as you have some sort of software to design the product, some filament, and a 3D printer. There isn’t even that much time needed for a print, with the average lasting less than 24 hrs. You don’t need to have a business to use a 3D printer, you can buy a pretty good one for a couple hundred Continue reading How 3D printing is changing manufacturing→

     Charter Schools are tuition-free schools independent of their respective school district that receive government funding.  Only about 6% of students across the US attend charter schools and students are generally selected through a random lottery. They are given the freedom to specialize in an academic subject, like language or arts, but are still held accountable for state education standards. They help broaden families’ options, especially low-income, those who live in poor public school districts, or non-native speakers. Charter schools opening in communities lacking a good public school help bring a lot of economic activity. The school is able to Continue reading A Quick Introduction to Charter Schools→

Fast food has become a staple for nearly every American’s diet. The relatively inexpensive and quick food option seems like a great alternative to cooking at home, but is it really better? Approximately 37% of American households eat fast food once a day. With that high proportion, Americans roughly spend the same amount of their income on fast food as they do on home-cooked food. Although fast food is seemingly quick and inexpensive, it does have some hidden costs as well. Fast food is relatively high in sodium, saturated fat, and calories. This high consumption of red and/or processed meat, Continue reading Fast food vs. Home Cooking→