My Final Ohio State Post

I am leaving Ohio State University after 23 years, and moving on. If you want to continue reading my blog, my new personal website is located at http://blogs.bu.edu/zagorsky/.  I will also continue publishing on TheConversation.  Thanks for reading my articles!

Bicycling Across America

During the summer of 2018 I am bicycling across America.  I am blogging about it daily at a different website.  You can click here or just type in the following URL http://blogs.bu.edu/zagorsky to follow the journey.

Why Initiative 77 Does Not Mean the End of Tipping

Recently voters in Washington D.C. voted for Initiative 77.  The vote was not particularly close: 55% voted for the initiative and 45% voted against it.  The initiative changes minimum wage laws in the District two ways.  First, it increases the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020 and then boosts the minimum wage by […]

How big will the market be for betting on sports?

The Supreme Court on May 14 struck down a 25-year federal ban on sports betting outside of Nevada.  The big question on many minds – particular state officials and companies like MGM Resorts and DraftKings looking to cash in – is how much money is at stake. Many of the articles on the decision cite […]

Is the USA at full employment now?

The latest jobs report has gotten a lot of analysts, policymakers and talking heads once again asking whether the U.S. is at full employment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on May 4 that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent, which is the lowest level since December 2000. The unemployment rate includes anyone […]

Should you insure that trip or TV? Here’s what an economist would do

You can buy insurance for practically anything these days.  Planning a vacation to France? Your airline, travel agent or even hotel will likely offer trip insurance in case you need to change your dates or cancel. Going to the casino? You can insure your blackjack hand in case it’s not your lucky day. Recently, I […]

Wow, high end restaurants have changed what they serve over time!

My investigation on changes in the price of going to the prom in the Wall Street Jorurnal (see here) got a number of comments and emails.  The most interesting email came from Marie Concannon.  She is one of the head librarians at the University of Missouri.  Ms. Concannon created a web site called “Prices and […]

Should NBA Teams Really Shoot More 3s?

The NBA playoffs are about to begin.  Sports announcers and writers again will hype the game, especially long shots from outside the three point arc.  The common refrain I hear is that teams should take more 3 pointers because they are worth 50% more than 2 pointers. This statement while factually correct is just plain […]

How to deal with life’s risks more rationally

The world is an uncertain and risky place. The news constantly bombards us with scary situations from school shootings to gruesome murders.  Risk is everywhere and associated with everything. For example, the Center for Disease Control a decade ago estimated over 20 million people a year ended up in emergency rooms because of bathroom injuries.

OSU Alumni Magazine

The current issue (Spring 2018) of Ohio State’s alumni magazine has a two page interview with me (click here for the online version).  Alumni were asked to send in any kind of question about the economy.  My favorite question was by Kamilah King class of 2011, who asked “What are some of the basic economics […]

Should We Get Rid of the Penny?

Today’s Wall Street Journal (March. 19, 2017, page R1; online version is here) printed  an article I wrote.  They asked me to be part of a debate on “Should the U.S. Retire the Penny and Nickel?”  I took the “no” side.  This is a follow on article from the piece I wrote for TheConversation back […]

What is March Madness – and the nonprofit that manages the mayhem?

The annual college basketball spectacle known as March Madness has arrived.  Millions of people will tune in to the three-week tournament to see who’s the best team in the U.S. And millions more will wager a few bucks to take part in an office pool in which they try to pick the winner. Even presidents […]

Does college turn people into liberals?

Does going to college make students into political liberals?  Conservative activists have claimed that universities brainwash students and indoctrinate them into believing a liberal ideology. The line of reasoning goes like this: Liberal college professors tell students “what to think,” and “what to think” is that conservatives and their positions are to be dismissed. A […]

Macron’s pledge to wipe out coal is just as meaningless as Trump’s plan to revive it

In a speech at the 2018 World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to “make France a model in the fight against climate change” and promised to shut all coal-fired power plants by 2021 – two years earlier than the timetable put forward by his predecessor. While Macron’s […]

Is there a simple way to reduce credit card fraud?

Credit card fraud is a major problem, which costs billions each year.  Banks and credit card issuers have tried a number of ways to reduce the fraud.  Recent examples are the rollout of cards with computer chips.  Cards with chips are more secure for in-person transactions.  Unfortunately, chipped cards are no more secure than older […]

Do Ethical People Finish Financially First or Last?

It is almost Christmas time and the song “Santa Claus is coming to town” keeps playing over and over.  For me the key lines of this ear-worm are “He knows if you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.”  The song clearly states doing the right thing leads to more gifts on […]

Why does the price of turkeys fall just before Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a great U.S. holiday during which people consume huge quantities of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pie.  One of the stranger things about this holiday, however, is that a few days before everyone starts cooking, whole turkeys are suddenly discounted by supermarkets and grocery stores.