• The price of life:

  Japan: $12.3 million United States: $7.5 million Hong Kong: $2.2 million South Korea: $1.1 million Mexico City: $365,000

• The price of a bicycle (for average worker):

  1895: 6.5 weeks of work . . . 2010: 19 hours of work

• The price of food (share of family budget):

  USA: 9.7% . . . UK: 16.3% . . . Brazil: 22.7% . . . Bolivia: 42.5% . . . Indonesia: 50.6% . . . Albania: 69.2% . . .

• The price of work (dollars per hour):

  USA: $40 . . . Korea: $18 . . . Netherlands: $36 . . . Spain: $26 . . .

• The price of addiction (annual spending on tobacco):

  Mexico: $87 . . . Serbia: $119 . . . Turkey: $220 . . . Australia: $241 . . . Germany: $266 . . . USA: $274 . . . Portugal: $320 . . . Japan: $519 . . . Greece: $718 . . .

• The price of inebriation (annual alcohol purchases as a share of individual spending):

  Turkey: 0.1% ($7) . . . South Korea: 0.3% ($37) . . . Japan: 1% ($204) . . . US: 1.1% ($341) . . . Portugal: 1.1% ($174) . . . Australia: 1.3% ($286) . . . France:1.5% ($333) . . . Germany: 1.8% ($410) . . . Luxembourg: 2.4% ($820) . . . Russia: 3.5% ($280) . . .

• The price of illegal immigration (average smuggler fees on Mexican border):

  2008: $2600 . . . 2000: $1600 . . . 1990: $500 . . .

• The price of a license plate in Abu Dhabi:

  $14,000,000 for the “1” plate in a 2008 auction . . . $95 for a regular plate . . .

• The price of beauty (United States and Canada):

  Wage of a beautiful worker = 1.13 the wage of an ugly worker

• The value of unionization:

  $148 a week / Wage of a union worker = 1.21 times the wage of a non-union worker

• The price of a soccer star:

  In 2009 Cristiano Ronaldo earned 16 times what Pele earned in 1960, after inflation.

• The price of a banker (Average bonus on Wall Street):

  2009: $123,850 . . . 2005: $149,800 . . . 2000: $100,530 . . . 1995: $41,410 . . . 1990: $15,540 . . . 1985: $13,970 . . .

• The price of pollution (cost of a ton of co2):

  European Climate Exchange: $20 . . . EPA estimate of environmental cost today: $40-$68

One Response to Has educastion lost its punch?

1. isomorphisms says:

   April 2, 2012 at 2:31 am

   Thank Krugman. If he uses his megaphone, perhaps this will be questioned by more people.

   Reply