The inaugural 2025 Janet L. Yellen Award for Excellence in Public Service was awarded to Janet Yellen

International visitors will now pay more to enter some U.S. national parks. Economists call it price discrimination, a strategy we see everywhere once we know how to spot it. The economics are straightforward, but the fairness debate is not. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/americas-n...

A year-end wrap-up of Monday Morning Economist: the posts that sparked the most conversation, the books I couldn’t stop thinking about, and a thank-you to the readers who made it all so much fun to do each week. Full reflection here: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/2025

Do people still get holiday bonuses? Watching Christmas Vacation this year made me curious, so I looked at the data. Who gets bonuses today, what kinds of bonuses still exist, and why firms are cautious about offering them. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/christmas-...

One of the most popular video games of the year is also being called one of the “chillest” PvP shooters, which is not how this genre usually works. I teamed up with Noah Trudeau to explain why ARC Raiders looks like a game of hawks and doves. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/arc-raiders

Pantone named “Cloud Dancer” as the 2026 Color of the Year. The color is simple, but the economics behind it are not. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/pantone

A comment about dressing nicer on airplanes set off a debate last week. I wrote about why the reaction wasn’t really about clothing, but about the social norms we rely on in crowded spaces and how quickly they shift. Full story: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/sweats-on-...

Feeling thankful for everyone who’s made this newsletter such a rewarding project this year 🙏 Today's special post is full of gratitude, turkey day economics, and a few Substack writers you should absolutely be reading. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/thanksgivi...

Thanksgiving dinner looks coordinated from the outside, but no one plans the national menu. This week, I wrote about the spontaneous order behind the holiday meal and the people who make it possible. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/the-thanks...

Penny shortages have led to rounding at the register, but the real story is why .99 pricing still dominates as the penny disappears. This week's article breaks down the tax issues, the advertising challenges, and the psychology keeping .99 in place. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/99-cents

Walmart says Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper this year. It’s not. The basket just got smaller. That makes it the perfect lesson in how economists measure inflation. Read more: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/walmart-th...

The most interesting part of the 18-inning World Series game wasn’t on the field. It was in living rooms across the country. Learn how economics can explain the decision to stay up for “just one more inning.” www.mondayeconomist.com/p/world-seri...

When AWS went down, so did Canvas. Students initially panicked, but many of them eventually cheered. The outage revealed something deeper about college: it’s not just about learning, it’s about what the degree signals. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/canvas-aws

Smucker's is suing Trader Joe's. Not for stealing a recipe, but for copying the shape of a crustless PB&J. Behind the sandwich is a billion-dollar lesson in how firms protect their profits through differentiation. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/uncrustables

Getting fired usually means losing your paycheck. In college football, it can mean cashing in. Here’s the economic logic behind multimillion-dollar buyouts and why universities keep paying coaches not to coach. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/buyouts

AI stocks are booming, and some are warning that it looks like a bubble. Jeff Bezos agrees, but says this might be the rare kind of bubble that benefits society in the long run. Here’s what makes an “industrial bubble” different than the others: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/ai-bubble

You’ve probably seen it before: Lowe’s and Home Depot, sitting right next to each other. But why? I asked @josemonkey.com to figure out how often these rivals cluster in real life. The answer may surprise you, but the explanation goes back nearly 100 years. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/josemonkey

Nate Bargatze tried to shorten Emmy speeches with a $100,000 charity pledge that dropped $1,000 for every second winners went long. If loss aversion works, it should have worked here. It didn’t. Why the pot went negative: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/emmys-flop

Someone buys you a coffee and texts: “Just Venmo me $7.58.” Do you round up or pay the exact amount? That tiny decision says more about your brain (and your social instincts) than you might think. Read the full piece: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/venmo

Economists watch many signals for signs of recession. One of the quirkiest? Cardboard boxes. With producers cutting nearly 9% of capacity, the “cardboard box index” may be flashing a warning. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/cardboard-...

The TI-84 looks the same as it did in the early 2000s. Casio and Desmos exist, so why do students still pay $100 for one? The answer has less to do with features and more to do with economics. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/graphing-c...

A knitting bean just beat Google and ChatGPT in the App Store. Focus Friend is the latest productivity app to catch fire, but the economics behind its success explain why it’s more than just cute. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/focus-friend

She borrowed $85K for college, made small payments while in school, and now pays $1,500/month. After two years of payments, she owes… $90K. A viral crash out, a 17% interest rate, and a lesson in the math behind student loans. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/student-lo...

What happens when a neutral expression in an interview is read as disinterest by the person hiring you? This week’s Monday Morning Economist looks at the “Gen Z stare” through the lens of signaling theory. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/gen-z-stare

The BLS reported 73,000 new jobs in July. Hours later, the BLS commissioner was fired. Trump accused her of manipulating the numbers, but data revisions happen every month. It's part of the process. So what makes this time different? www.mondayeconomist.com/p/revisions

Taking off your shoes at TSA took about 10 seconds. Multiply that by ~2 million travelers a day, and you have a multi-million dollar problem. This week’s post explores what small inconvenience really costs us: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/tsa-shoes

Would you rather eat a sandwich made from a 1920s recipe or one from your local deli today? 🥪 I teamed up with Sandwiches of History to explore how 100 years of economic growth changed the way we eat. Even your fridge tells a story of progress. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/how-sandwi...

Are Americans saving more because they feel good about their finances or because they’re scared? This week, I teamed up with @yourbrainonmoney.bsky.social to answer that question. I tackled the economics, and she tackled the behavioral finance. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/savings-rate

Tonight’s the #LoveIslandUSA finale, which means it’s the perfect time to bring this one back: 💔 Matching markets 🔄 Strategic recoupling 💵 The economics of love (No need to love the show, just bring your inner economist.) www.mondayeconomist.com/p/love-island

Amazon’s not losing money on Prime Day. It’s using one of the oldest pricing strategies in economics: second-degree price discrimination. This post explains why charging you to access discounts is smarter than it sounds. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/what-amazo...

I’ve been writing Monday Morning Economist for five years, but I’m still eager to discover new writers, podcasters, and creators doing smart, engaging work around economics, teaching, or pop culture. Who should I be reading or listening to? Tag your favorites down below.

Every July 4th, millions watch Joey Chestnut crush hot dogs during Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN. But he’s not just a competitive eater! He’s also a great example of diminishing returns in action. Will it happen to him again this year? www.mondayeconomist.com/p/competitiv...

Some exciting news to share: my newsletter just hit the **#1 rising spot in Education** on Substack today! It’s been an incredible run these past few weeks! I'm grateful to everyone who reads, shares, and subscribes!

Midyear check-in is live. What’s working and where this econ newsletter is headed next. If you like newsletters, pop econ, or just watching someone figure it out in public, give it a read: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/2025-midyear

Bobby Bonilla has gotten a $1.2 million check every July 1 since 2011, but do you know why? The same math that will help him earn $30 million instead of $6 million can help the rest of us earn more, too! A new post drops tomorrow. Subscribe now: www.mondayeconomist.com

You’ve seen more from me over the past two weeks, on purpose. I’m halfway through a 30-day challenge to grow my newsletter. But I’m close to the limits of where I can reach alone. So I could really use your help 🧵

Bobby Bonilla has gotten a $1.2 million check every July 1 since 2011, but do you know why? The same math that will help him earn $30 million instead of $6 million can help the rest of us earn more, too! A new post drops tomorrow. Subscribe now: www.mondayeconomist.com

Looking for some econ-themed summer reads? I’ve created a curated Bookshop with econ reads for: 🧠 Econ-curious folks 🎒 Students 🧑‍🏫 Teachers 📖 Books I’ve taught in class 🗓️ Plus my annual favorites Check it out here 👉 bookshop.org/shop/MondayE...

160 million people have been under heat alerts this week. Extreme heat isn’t just dangerous, it’s also economically costly. Here's how heat waves reduce worker productivity, especially for those in outdoor and physical labor jobs. 📬 www.mondayeconomist.com/p/heatwaves

What do teachers, students, and the econ-curious all have in common? They all subscribe to the Monday Morning Economist, my free weekly newsletter that connects economic concepts to real-world stories, headlines, and pop culture. Join them: mondayeconomist.com

🚨 New post is live! 🩷🏝️ Whether you’re watching #LoveIsland for love or economics, it’s worth a read. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/love-island

Yes, I’ve been watching #LoveIsland, but not just for the drama. If you’ve ever watched a recoupling ceremony and thought, “This feels like economics,” you’re not wrong. 📬 Subscribe to get it first thing Monday: www.mondayeconomist.com

Yes, I’ve been watching #LoveIsland, but not just for the drama. If you’ve ever watched a recoupling ceremony and thought, “This feels like economics,” you’re not wrong. 📬 Subscribe to get it first thing Monday: www.mondayeconomist.com

Why did we stop buying colorful cars? In the 1990s, red and green were much more common. Now, nearly 4 out of 5 new cars are black, white, gray, or silver. 📊 Check out the trends and learn the economics behind them: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/car-colors

I’m running a quick survey for my newsletter readers: Why do you read Monday Morning Economist? If you’ve ever read or shared a post, I’d love to hear from you. (Substack readers, you received a survey in today’s email!)

Just published a “starter guide” with 5 of my most popular posts from Monday Morning Economist. Tariffs, Taylor Swift, Home Alone, and more. It's econ for the real world. Curious? Start here: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/allow-me-t...

I’m trying to double the subscriber base of Monday Morning Economist over the next 30 days. My goal? 8,000 new readers. If you’ve enjoyed my weekly takes on baseball cards, tariffs, or egg prices, help me spread the word. Get your personal invite link: www.mondayeconomist.com/leaderboard

What should you major in? For many students, that question comes with pressure from parents, from peers, and future salary data. But there's more to the story than just future paychecks. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/how-to-thi...

A banana stole the show at a House tariff hearing, but it also highlighted a core truth of economics: we import some goods not because we can’t make them, but because we shouldn’t. Here’s what a banana can teach us about trade: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/we-cant-bu...

Record high tariff revenue last month. Inflation is steady. Are tariffs working? Not so fast. Companies are paying more to import less. Consumers are adjusting. Mark Cuban (@mcuban.bsky.social ) commented on it yesterday, and my latest article shows why he's right: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/taco