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

Tag: Google

Friday, March 11th, 2011

What’s the Internet worth?

The Great Stagnation, an intriguing new book by George Mason economist Tyler Cowen, co-author of the Marginal Revolution blog, has sparked a fantastic debate about whether and how the Internet has contributed to our economic wellbeing. The book ponders why … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Google, History, Internet | 2 Comments

Friday, January 14th, 2011

Should you work for free?

Remember when Google asked illustrators to design some cool new art for its browser, Chrome, for free? Some artists were swayed by the argument that exposure on Google amounted to valuable advertising for their work. But many were incensed that … Continue reading →

Posted in Free, Google, Wages, Work | Tagged Free, Google, Work | 2 Comments