Author Archives: Rachel Kadoshima

About Rachel Kadoshima

Rachel is a senior economics and French language student

Micro, Macro, and Keanu Reeves: Why you should join the econ department

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I have been trying so hard to convince the 101 students I CA for to join the econ department. This is my last attempt to steer them to the world of game theory and IS-LM models. Looking back on my first year at UPS, I realize I had no idea what economics actually was when I enrolled in the class. I must have thought it had to do with printing money. Thankfully, whatever 19-year-old Rachel had thought encapsulated the world of economics was incredibly wrong, and I ended up thoroughly enjoying the class, despite my confusion. I decided late into Continue reading Micro, Macro, and Keanu Reeves: Why you should join the econ department→

The Olympic Peninsula and its DVD market

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Highway 101 flaunts stunning deciduous trees, winding curves, and small coffee shops that serve chicken strips and Olympic Mountain Ice Cream. In between the stretches of trees and grocery stores resides a nondescript DVD vendor, its only marking a white paper sign with black font that reads “$1 DVDs”. The abundance of streaming services makes watching TV and movies accessible and instantaneous. If you don’t like a movie, you can switch the title in less than a minute. The relatively low cost of monthly subscriptions incentivizes simultaneous subscriptions to multiple services. Nothing good on Netflix? Maybe Hulu has something. Streaming Continue reading The Olympic Peninsula and its DVD market→

Tea-conomics: thoughts on the Washington boba market

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As a self-proclaimed boba connoisseur and lover of all things bubble tea, the rise in boba cafés around western Washington warms my tapioca-filled heart. What is boba? Boba, bubble tea, boba tea, and milk tea is a Taiwanese beverage often topped with tapioca, fruit jellies, custard, or foam. I am sipping on one as I write this blog post. While some of my personal favorite boba shops resides in Federal Way, University of Washington’s “ave” boasts a different bubble tea store on basically every block. My sister, a UW student, says “you don’t have to look for boba to find Continue reading Tea-conomics: thoughts on the Washington boba market→

Saved by the Bell: Socioeconomics and the American School System

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Professor Terry Beck links a jamboard into our class’s zoom chat. He offers his students prompts and asks us to drop a virtual sticky note on a plane, each corner labeled “strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree”. Each prompt discusses the involvement of socioeconomics on student performance. Slowly, colorful stickies populate the page, scattered across the axes. We spend the class discussing our interpretations on the American school system, standardized testing, and socioeconomics. In preparation for class, we read Richard Rothstein’s article “Why Children from Lower Socioeconomic Classes, on Average, have Lower Academic Achievement than Middle-Class Children”. Frequently, academic achievement Continue reading Saved by the Bell: Socioeconomics and the American School System→

Small Businesses During COVID-19

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Life has changed since lockdown. Even though businesses are beginning to open their doors, occupancy limits and mask mandates serve as reminders that the pandemic is still present. CNBC stated that as of August 31st 163,735 small businesses indicated on Yelp that they closed due to the COVID pandemic. While the number of temporary closures has decreased since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of permanent closures has increased. How can consumers support their community businesses while still social-distancing? Forbes offered some suggestions such as: Order to-go from restaurants Order delivery from shops Buy gift cards or credit for Continue reading Small Businesses During COVID-19→

There’s no such thing as a free lunch–but there is free Hulu

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Well…I broke. Over a year ago I wrote about how I continued to purchase individual songs from iTunes rather than subscribe to Spotify Premium or Apple Music (read the article here). Now, two years older and in the middle of my last semester of undergrad, I decided to take advantage of my student status and subscribe to Spotify Premium, which just conveniently offers ad-supported Hulu in addition to a premium Spotify account. The past sixth months of pandemic life changed the way I viewed streaming services. First, it was the Netflix subscription in April (I missed the Tiger King era). Continue reading There’s no such thing as a free lunch–but there is free Hulu→

Tim Duy and The Fed’s Response to COVID Pandemic

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Thursday, September 24, 2020 University of Oregon professor Tim Duy spoke to the University of Puget Sound economics department on the Federal Reserve’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Duy is a UPS alumnus, and continued at University of Oregon to receive his M.S. and PhD in economics. His blog Tim Duy’s Fed Watch keeps readers up to date on new monetary policy and Federal reserve updates. Duy split his presentation into two parts: first, the direct response of the Fed to the pandemic; second, the innovations that the Fed implemented to update its policy for post-pandemic monetary policy. “This is Continue reading Tim Duy and The Fed’s Response to COVID Pandemic→

Back to School: Education During a Pandemic

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The culmination of September marks the end of back-to-school month, and while some quarter-based universities are just sending out their syllabi, most elementary through high schools are wrapping up their first month of classes. The current pandemic calls for states, school districts, and superintendents to make a difficult decision: do in-person classes resume? Those in favor of in-person classes argue that students will receive a higher quality education than that provided remotely, and also state that remote learning would require parents to either work remotely or take time off work to stay home with their children. Proponents of remote learning Continue reading Back to School: Education During a Pandemic→

The Economics of Halloween

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The chill in the air, orange leaves, and Tacoma rain that now graces UPS signal that October, and thus spooky season is in full force. As the nation gears up for football season, the World Series, and pumpkin flavoring, children young and old prepare for Halloween, the holiday of holidays. Although the winter holidays more often elicit ideas of consumerism, Halloween still generates a relatively large surge in household consumption. According to The Balance, last year’s Halloween sales hit $9 billion, just shy of 2017’s $9.1 billion. The Balance sites the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, which found that people Continue reading The Economics of Halloween→

Seattle Considers Congestion Pricing

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Driving through Seattle is a challenge. Seattle is one of, if not the most, traffic congested cities in the state. In an attempt to alleviate some of the traffic, the city of Seattle may implement congestion pricing: a toll that drivers must pay to use popular routes during peak hours. If successful, the tax will reduce use of the roads during those hours, and the revenue collected will fund transportation projects. Cities such as New York, London, Singapore, and Stockholm have already used congestion pricing. While New York’s tax is fairly new, the system worked well in the other cities. Continue reading Seattle Considers Congestion Pricing→