Articles Posted in the " Economics " Category

  • When consumers don’t drive the market…

    When consumers don’t drive the market…

    Who are the consumers of textbooks? And how do you define a consumer? We had this discussion recently on the podcast Real Tech for Real People episode 97. We were discussing the increasing use of tablets, and specifically iPads, in...


  • Economics Dooms Health Care Reform to failure.

    Economics Dooms Health Care Reform to failure.

    In the last post I wrote about the perversions of incentives that cause the problems in the health care system.  Let me point out that it’s not that we are behaving irrationally.  We are behaving completely rationally–given the situation we...


  • iPad Demands…

    iPad Demands…

    Writing as an academic, I desperately want to get my hands on (the demand data for) the iPad.  Specifically,  I wonder about the “pre-order” demands that have been placed. I am not writing this as a “hater” or critic of the iPad....


  • AT & T to offer Incentives? Or is it punishment?

    AT & T to offer Incentives? Or is it punishment?

    I was struck yesterday by the word choice that was presented when AT&T’s executive announced that they are “considering incentives to get consumers to reduce their data usage.” (See the story “AT&T Considers incentives to curb heavy data usage“) What...


  • Steve Jobs–iPhone is too pricey!

    Steve Jobs–iPhone is too pricey!

    I would say I feel vindicated. I mean, after all I had been ranting that the iPhone was overpriced.  But then, as you may recall, I blogged about “temporal price discrimination” and how dropping the price on the “Jesus phone”...