Since February of 2005, I have been a contributor to The New York Times's Economic Scene Column. My column appears every fourth Thursday. To download a column as a PDF file, click on the relevant title below.
February 17, 2005: "The Theory That Self-Interest Is the Sole Motivator Is Self-Fulfilling"
March 17, 2005: "Americans Save So Little, but What Can Be Done to Change That?"
April 14, 2005: "Intense Competition for Top Students Is Threatening Financial Aid Based on Need"
May 12, 2005: " The Estate Tax: Efficient, Fair and Misunderstood"
June 9, 2005: "The Mysterious Disappearance of James Duesenberry"
July 7, 2005: " Do Tax Cuts for the Wealthy Stimulate Employment?"
August 4, 2005: "There's a Hidden Price for Being a Cheat"
September 1, 2005: "The Opportunity Cost of Economics Education"
September 29, 2005: "Students Discover Economics in Its Natural State"
October 27, 2005: "Of Hockey Players and Housing Prices"
November 24, 2005: "Sometimes, a Tax Cut for the Wealthy Can Hurt the Wealthy"
December 22, 2005: "Tax Cuts for the Wealthy: Waste More, Want More"
January 19, 2006: "Weighing the True Costs and Benefits in a Matter of Life and Death"
February 16, 2006: "A Way to Cut Fuel Consumption That Everyone Likes, Except the Politicians"
March 16, 2006: "Polygamy and the Marriage Market: Who Would Have the Upper Hand?"
May 11, 2006: "Right for the Wrong Reasons: Why Galbraith Never Got the Prize"
June 8, 2006: "Energy Policy Is Far Too Complicated to Be Left to the Politicians"
July 6, 2006: "How Much Is That Laptop? It Depends on the Color of the Case. And That's Fair."
August 3, 2006: "The Herd Changes Course and Runs Away From S.U.V.'s"
August 31, 2006: "When the Rich-Poor Gap Widens, Gatsby Becomes a Guidebook"
September 28, 2006: "The More We Make, the Better We Want"
October 26, 2006: "Prospering May Not Make People Happier, but It May Make Them Healthier"
November 23, 2006: "The Other Milton Friedman: A Conservative with a Social Welfare Program"
December 21, 2006: "When It Comes to a Search for a Spouse, Supply and Demand Is Only the Start"
January 18, 2007: "Payday Loans Are a Scourge, but Should Wrath Be Aimed at the Lenders?"
February 15, 2007: "A Health Care Plan So Simple, Even Stephen Colbert Couldn't Simplify It"
March 15, 2007: "When to Violate the Top Two Commandments of Antigovernment Crusaders"
April 12, 2007: "In the Real World of Work and Wages, Trickle-Down Theories Don't Hold Up."
May 10, 2007: "A Sensible Solution to Thin Traffic, and One for Easing Concerns about Fairness"
June 7, 2007: "Despite the Dumb Jokes, Stereotypes May Reflect Some Smart Choices"
July 5, 2007: "A Career in Hedge Funds and the Problem of Overcrowding"
August 12, 2007: "A Dismal Science, Dismally Taught"
October 7, 2007: "Why Not Shift the Burden to Big Spenders?"
December 9, 2007: "Reshaping the Debate on Raising Taxes"
February 10, 2008: "When Self-Interest Isn't Everything"
March 9, 2008: "Income and Happiness: An Imperfect Link"
April 13, 2008: "To Disclose or Not? Ask the Frogs"
April 27, 2008: "Don't Blame All Borrowers" (This column is the only one of mine that the Times Sunday Business Section has rejected. It appeared in the Washington Post Outlook Section.)