Economics – Page 61 – Sound Economics

The Economics of Our Candidates, Part 3

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Nicky Smit — No Comments ↓

Welcome to part three of my three part series on our presidential candidates’ stances on economic issues. In case you missed it, here’s the first on taxation and the second on financial reform. Again, we lost some candidates since last I posted. Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina will be sorely missed, as well as Jim Gilmore, I guess. For this final week, the issue is the Fed! First, a woefully short description of the Federal Reserve (aka the Fed). They deal with monetary policy, playing some role in deciding the value of the dollar by controlling the federal funds rate. Banks and Continue reading The Economics of Our Candidates, Part 3→

Economists and Tinder: Why economists don’t find each other on Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Jordyn McLuen — No Comments ↓

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and in a recent article from The Economist, it was asked why more economists don’t find love with other economists. Would economists benefit from a dating app made just for them? Perhaps this would maximize efficiency in the dating market, or perhaps there’s a reason economists aren’t drawn to each other. They explain that the first obstacle for love between economists is that the market is not thick enough—economics is a field dominated by men. For an “economists only” dating app to work, the market would have to be thick enough to generate network Continue reading Economists and Tinder: Why economists don’t find each other on Valentine’s Day→

Alumni Interview: Ryan Tate

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Lorraine Black — 2 Comments ↓

I interviewed alumni Ryan Tate over Skype about his experiences after UPS and his startup, Venture Equity Exchange. Ryan has a great perspective on entrepreneurship and startups, an often overlooked option for economics graduates (but a potentially very rewarding one if you’re willing to take the risk and put in the work). I’m no dictation machine so I’m going to be paraphrasing Ryan’s answers and our discussion to the best of my ability. Ryan came to UPS (graduating in 2009) from San Diego partly because his father lived nearby in Silverdale and because he appreciated the uniqueness of the school. He majored Continue reading Alumni Interview: Ryan Tate→

Financial Crises and the Far-Right Extremism that Follows Them

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Alex Shaw — No Comments ↓

You’ve probably heard the saying that “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that the circumstances that led to right-wing nationalist support in the early 20th century are reoccurring now in the U.S. and in Europe. This is because there is an eerie political trend when it comes to the aftermath of financial crises. A study by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), which covered 800 elections and 100 financial crises from 20 advanced economies between 1870 and 2014, shows that following a financial crisis, the politics of Continue reading Financial Crises and the Far-Right Extremism that Follows Them→

Jeb’s Dismal Return on Investment in Iowa

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Matthew Moreno — 1 Comment ↓

How much should it cost to buy a vote? Not in the direct sense, but in terms of how campaign expenses incurred stack up against the number of votes received. Take a moment and make a mental guesstimate of a reasonable figure. $20? $200? For Jeb Bush and his Super-PAC, that figure was $2,800 in Iowa: $14.1 million divided by around 5,000 votes received. The runner-up in this ignominious statistic was Mike Huckabee, whose campaign spending amounted to slightly under $1,000 per vote received. The Huffington Post put together a fascinating comparison of the Republican field on this metric. To see how Jeb stacks Continue reading Jeb’s Dismal Return on Investment in Iowa→

Are the Choices We Make Truly Ours?

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Tesha Shalon — No Comments ↓

We make choices every single day; it is an inevitable action that all living creatures must perform. Choosing to wake up early versus sleeping in, or eating a healthy meal versus an unhealthy meal. Although many of us believe that, past the childhood stage, we have the authority to make these choices, today we have people whose job it is to nudge you in the direction they think best, whether or not we are aware. Formally this field goes by the name of “choice architecture”, which was made popular by economist Richard Thaler, through his book “Nudge”. Choice architecture emphasizes Continue reading Are the Choices We Make Truly Ours?→

Lower Gas Prices: Thank Saudi Arabia?

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Geremia Lizier-Zmudzinski — No Comments ↓

If you own and regularly drive a car then you’ve undoubtedly noticed your wallet has a little extra money in it these days. You’ve also probably made the connection between that extra spending money and the low price of gas, which since June 2014 has steadily decreased as the world price for a barrel of oil has fallen more than 70%. I have been driving for four years now which makes me old enough to remember what it felt like trying to fill up for $4 a gallon. Being that that was the price of gas when I first got Continue reading Lower Gas Prices: Thank Saudi Arabia?→

The Economics of Our Candidates, Part 2

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Nicky Smit — No Comments ↓

Welcome to part two of a three part series on our presidential candidates’ stances on economic issues. Take a look at last weeks post on taxation, it’s exciting stuff. There are now fewer candidates, thanks to the Iowa Caucus smashing the hopes and dreams of a few contenders. So goodbye Martin O’Malley, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and, the only person I actually included in last week’s post who’s quitting, Rand Paul. This week I’ll also not look at Ben Carson, because I’d prefer to give more time to fewer candidates. This week, the issue is regulation! An enormous part of Continue reading The Economics of Our Candidates, Part 2→

The economics of study abroad: Is it worth it?

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Jordyn McLuen — No Comments ↓

Study abroad programs have grown more and more popular in recent years; however, skeptics wonder if the benefits are really worth the costs. Spoiler alert: It really depends on the program. That being said, there are a few things to keep in mind when making the decision to study abroad. Location, program structure, and individual commitment levels will ultimately determine whether or not the experience is a huge waste of time and money. In an NPR interview with Mark Salisbury, director of Institutional Research and Assessment at Augustana College, Salisbury primarily exposes the unforeseen costs of study abroad programs. Continue reading The economics of study abroad: Is it worth it?→

Job opportunity for graduating seniors

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Andrew Monaco — No Comments ↓

The wonderful folks at Career and Employment Services have sent a job posting our way, so I’m sending straight to you economics seniors. It is a research analyst position at ECONorthwest in Seattle. The link just above will take you to the posting on LoggerJobs, so if you are finishing up that Econ degree in May, and interested in consulting work in the PNW, check it out! ECONorthwest, the largest economics consulting firm headquartered in the Pacific Northwest, has an immediate opening for one or two full-time research analysts. Research analysts support project managers performing economic analyses on a variety Continue reading Job opportunity for graduating seniors→