Economics Educator at Virginia Tech & author of Monday Morning Economist newsletter (https://www.mondayeconomist.com)https://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3muf5inztdk2fMore housing lowers prices, but more highway lanes don't ease traffic. The same economic logic produces completely different results. The reason why comes down to one idea that is easy to overlook. Enjoy this week's newsletter: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/fundamental-law-of-road-congestion31 Aug 2026 14:46 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf5inztdk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mtuhjrlsfc2oEvery time I stopped by the store, I saw the same empty shelf for this year's hottest toy and a sign rationing a product that was never there. The company that makes the product could raise the price to match the surge in demand, but it won't. Here's why: www.mondayeconomist.com/p/needoh https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/needoh24 Aug 2026 23:30 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtuhjrlsfc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mtcgpz3tvc2kA college student said a burrito shouldn't cost $20, and the internet lost its mind arguing about it. A few people tried to explain what's going on, and that sent me down the rabbit hole for this week's piece on real vs. nominal burrito prices. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/20-dollar-burrito17 Aug 2026 19:28 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtcgpz3tvc2khttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3msqosecepk2kBudget phones and mid-range laptops are quietly disappearing from the market, but it's because of inflation, tariffs, or the supply chain chaos from a few years ago. The real explanation is simpler than a conspiracy: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/the-middle-class-of-tech-is-quietly10 Aug 2026 18:04 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3msqosecepk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3ms6rcrjrm22qBack-to-school inflation is running way ahead of the headline number, but it's not even across items in your cart. Some items are up 20%+, but a couple are actually cheaper. This week's article breaks down exactly which is which, item by item: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/back-to-school-inflation03 Aug 2026 15:01 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3ms6rcrjrm22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mrn7hqj4mc2jNew York City requires three separate licenses to cut hair legally. @mayor.nyc.gov wants to change that, but let's use that absurd detail to dig into the economics of occupational licensing. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/occupational-licenses27 Jul 2026 15:27 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrn7hqj4mc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mr3lchue2s2lGrocery unit sales fell last month as prices climbed 2-3%. Shoppers are trading down brands, buying less, and leaning on coupons, but why do some price hikes barely register while others send you straight to the store brand? https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/grocery-elasticity20 Jul 2026 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mr3lchue2s2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mqjxgfui4s2f1 in 4 Americans thinks they could score a penalty kick against a professional goalkeeper in a #WorldCup match. This week's article is about that confidence and why it's one of the most expensive biases in behavioral economics. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/from-the-penalty-spot-to-your-portfolio13 Jul 2026 15:00 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqjxgfui4s2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mq5dqxqbks2uWe're putting together a special issue at the IREE on AI in teaching, assessment, and learning. If you're doing interesting work in your econ courses, we want to see it. Especially applied, replicable stuff. Submissions open Sept 1, 2026 👇 https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/335036/special-issue-economics-teaching-assessment-and-learning-with-ai08 Jul 2026 14:36 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq5dqxqbks2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mpyig6nxrk2eThe USMNT's (@usmnt.ussoccer.com) World Cup goalkeeper wrote a paper while he was working on his econ degree at Harvard, but he's never told anyone what's in it. His silence is the perfect entry point into the game theory lessons you'll find in the sprt. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/penalty-kicks06 Jul 2026 16:16 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpyig6nxrk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mph2llil2s2nI had a great seat at the #FIFAWorldCup. Then someone a few rows ahead of me stood up. Then the next row. Then the next. By the time it reached me, I had no choice but to stand, too. Here's the economics of why that happens: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/standing-externality29 Jun 2026 17:53 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mph2llil2s2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3movg7mob222aNearly half of Cabo Verde's squad grew up outside the island. All but one of Curaçao's players were born in the Netherlands. It may look like a loophole, but it's actually a great example of labor mobility and allocative efficiency. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/cabo-verde https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/cabo-verde22 Jun 2026 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3movg7mob222ahttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3moniq2v4422dNew paper out in Applied Economic Letters with Dusty White! We checked every external hyperlink in the top 5 econ journals (2011–2020) and found: ➡️ 52% are dead ➡️ 25% of "working" links don't even show the original content anymore. Gift link to the paper in response ⬇️19 Jun 2026 13:57 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3moniq2v4422dhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3modh4hy6fk2bInternational visitors are going viral for their reactions to ordinary American stores. A Soviet politician had the same reaction to a Houston grocery store in 1989. The economics connecting those two moments are fascinating. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/the-world-cups-most-unexpected-highlight15 Jun 2026 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3modh4hy6fk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mnrup3a6h22gFIFA has promised $80 billion and 200,000 permanent jobs from a two-month tournament. Those projections are no more than a promotional press release. Learn why, and start preparing for the victory lap we'll see come July. #FIFAWorldCup https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/world-cup-gdp08 Jun 2026 14:17 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnrup3a6h22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mnaa47leik2lThe Fed just found that only 2% of Americans used crypto to buy anything last year. Seventeen years in, we asked the economist's favorite question: is crypto actually money? www.mondayeconomist.com/p/bitcoin https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/bitcoin01 Jun 2026 13:53 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnaa47leik2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mmopljwmuk2iConsumer prices increased 3.8% from this time last year. If your raise was less than that, you're behind where you were twelve months ago. This week's article looks at the difference between nominal wages & real wages: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/cost-of-living25 May 2026 14:42 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmopljwmuk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mm4vhrz4qs22Spotify doesn't charge you to leave, so why does it feel like it would cost you something? This week's article looks at how switching costs show up in your playlists, your algorithm, and your listening history. Check it out: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/spotify-anniversary18 May 2026 12:39 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm4vhrz4qs22https://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mllhbofsp22cShinyHunters hacked Canvas during finals week & demanded a ransom. But why would anyone pay criminals who could just take the money and leak the data anyway? It turns out pirate captains faced the same problem and solved it with the Jolly Roger 🏴‍☠️ https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/canvas-hacked11 May 2026 14:10 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllhbofsp22chttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mkzommvltc2vSpirit Airlines lost money for six straight years but kept flying anyway. Then jet fuel doubled, and things changed everything overnight. Understanding the shut down rule can explain both: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/spirit-airlines04 May 2026 12:34 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzommvltc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mkibhbqi7s2mEconomists tracked what happened to household grocery spending when remote work reshuffled who was doing the shopping. Families paid 3–5% more for essentially the same items. The reason is more interesting than you might expect. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/expert-shopping27 Apr 2026 14:23 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkibhbqi7s2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mjwhgjgr6s2oResearchers surveyed hundreds of environmental economists on environmental policy topics. On some questions, 97% agree. On others, there's no consensus at all. The divide tells you a lot about where environmental policy is headed: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/consensus-environmental-economics20 Apr 2026 12:22 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwhgjgr6s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mjeukez27k22Whether you learned personal finance in high school came down to one thing: which state you grew up in. We broke down the data, the research, and what to do if school never covered it. Start with the quiz: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/financial-literacy13 Apr 2026 12:29 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjeukez27k22https://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mitbkad6a222Trump said the US can't afford to fund daycare because it's fighting wars. That argument has a name in economics. It's been around since 1936, and every president who's tried to ignore it has paid the price. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/guns-and-butter06 Apr 2026 12:33 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mitbkad6a222https://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mibnw4svyk2yA group of researchers paid people to quit Facebook and Instagram, then tracked where the time went. It didn't all go to TikTok or Snapchat. It went to games, YouTube, and outside. A 1965 economic theory helps us understand why: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/quitting-social-media30 Mar 2026 12:27 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mibnw4svyk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mhq2rjrdrs2rEmployers know what the job pays, but you don't. That gap has a name, and it may be costing workers more than they realize. This week's piece with Hannah Williams of Salary Transparent Street is on the economics of salary secrecy. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/sts https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/sts23 Mar 2026 12:29 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhq2rjrdrs2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mh6hgacpuc2lThe '90s nostalgia trend is everywhere, but the economic story is worth revisiting, too. It includes a recession, a budget surplus, NAFTA, and a market bubble that changed how we think about technology. New piece out today: https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/what-was-the-economy-like-in-the16 Mar 2026 12:27 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mh6hgacpuc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mgncnqx6c22pLast week Dick's Sporting Goods ranked No. 3 in the App Store after Claude and ChatGPT. They didn't build better technology. They offered ten cents a day to go for a walk. www.mondayeconomist.com/p/dicks-app https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/dicks-app09 Mar 2026 16:47 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgncnqx6c22phttps://bsky.app/profile/wootenomics.bsky.social/post/3mg3e32xpck2fNo one wants to work anymore? @mayor.nyc.gov offered $30/hour to shovel snow during last week’s blizzard, and people showed up. Preferences didn’t change. The price of time did. https://www.mondayeconomist.com/p/nyc-snow-shoveling02 Mar 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:7a2rnzn5cmnref7thn4gui4e/app.bsky.feed.post/3mg3e32xpck2f