Japan: $12.3 million
United States: $7.5 million
Hong Kong: $2.2 million
South Korea: $1.1 million
Mexico City: $365,000
UK: 16.3% . . .
Brazil: 22.7% . . .
Bolivia: 42.5% . . .
Indonesia: 50.6% . . .
Albania: 69.2% . . . 
Netherlands: $36 . . .
Spain: $26 . . . 
Serbia: $119 . . .
Turkey: $220 . . .
Australia: $241 . . .
Germany: $266 . . .
Portugal: $320 . . .
Greece: $718 . . . 
France:1.5% ($333) . . .
Luxembourg: 2.4% ($820) . . .
Russia: 3.5% ($280) . . .
February 2011
An Oscar for our times
The Oscars are upon us! I normally don’t have anything to say about this. But this year I have a candidate for the title of best picture: The King’s Speech. My choice has nothing to do with the quality of … Continue reading
Cheap willpower
Losing weight requires an inordinate amount of willpower. That’s why despite heavy our investments in pills, diets, exercise regimes and even the odd psychic, most of us just keep bulking up. By now, over two thirds of Americans are either … Continue reading
The Price of Everything in college
Joshua Kim from Dartmouth College recommends The Price of Everything for a College introductory economics course, “something to give some life to the textbooks and the supply and demand curves.” He adds, however, “The Price of Everything should be read … Continue reading
The right price for houses?
Any economist who still claims that financial bubbles do not exist (many tend to roam the Chicago area) should look at these charts. There is no way to tell the “right” price of a home. But by any measure, home … Continue reading
Building Stonehenge on the cheap
What would Ikea furniture look like in the stone age?
The price of an (American) life
The value of Americans is rising, reporte The New York Times. The Environmental Protection Agency increased the price it puts on a life to $9.1 million, from about $7.5 million in 2009. The Food and Drug Administration bumped up its … Continue reading
The price of regret
We have always suspected that people will forego material gain in order to avoid regretting their choices. For instance, experiments have repeatedly found that people who are given lottery ticket will be reluctant to change it for another ticket for … Continue reading
The Harvard Business Review liked it!
Tim Sullivan’s review in the Harvard Business Review: “If you want a book on our global connections that’s both entertaining and important, turn to Eduardo Porter’s The Price of Everything: Solving the Mystery of Why We Pay What We Do.”
What would you pay Travis Broyles?
For $1,000, he’s offered to build a full-size cardboard car and make “vroom-vroom” sounds while the owner drives it. For $100,000, he’ll yell your name every time he wakes up for the rest of his life. He will “tell your … Continue reading
What people will do for $5
Would you pay $5 for someone to call your friend and sing any Disney song? How about $5 for a vector Apple iPod style silhouette of yourself? A full list is here. Thanks to Tim Harford for the pointer.
THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING
EDUARDO PORTER
