income – Sound Economics

A Sweet and Sugary Debate

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Cole Driscoll — No Comments ↓

Philadelphia became the first major city to take a stance against “sugar-sweetened and diet beverages” with a 1.5 cents per ounce tax on distributors. The tax was passed by the city council in June and has been in full swing since January. Some news sources are quick to point out the success of the tax as it has “generated $5.9 million in January, more than double its prediction of $2.3 million.” An important platform of the tax campaign was that the revenue from the tax would help fund schools, community programs and facilities in Philadelphia. But the primary purpose for Continue reading A Sweet and Sugary Debate→

Economics of Sleep

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Tesha Shalon — No Comments ↓

More sleep is usually positively correlated with beneficial variables such as increased cognitive ability, better weight management, and overall wellbeing. But can the amount we sleep explain important health and economic indicators? Lauren Hale, a sleep researcher at Stony Brook University uses sleep as a social justice issue: “Generally, people who have more opportunities, more control over their lives, are also better sleepers. … Is it true that either racial minorities, low-educated, low job-security individuals, people who live in high-risk neighborhoods, who experience fear at night, are these people who clearly have some sort of social disadvantage, are also Continue reading Economics of Sleep→