Behavioral economics

Remembering Daniel Kahneman, The Psychologist Who Upended Economics

Perhaps the two most influential economics thinkers of the past half-century were not economists at all. Psychologists Amos Tversky, who died young in 1996, and...

April 10, 2024Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

What Should We Do with the Money from Taxing “Bads”?

What do indoor tanning, shopping bags, junk food, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, “gas guzzling” cars, ozone-depleting chemicals, sugary drinks, marijuana, gasoline, coal, carbon-containing fuels, and financial transactions have in common? Taxes that discourage them. The United States taxes indoor

January 28, 2016Donald Marron

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Should Governments Tax Unhealthy Foods and Drinks?

With obesity and diabetes at record levels, many public health experts believe governments should tax soda, sweets, junk food, and other unhealthy foods and drinks. Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, and Mexico have such taxes. So do Berkeley, California and the Navajo Nation. Celebrity chef Jamie

December 14, 2015Donald Marron

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Should governments tax products that are fun but harmful?

Should you face an extra tax if you drink soda? Eat potato chips? Uncork some wine? Light up a cigarette or joint? Toast yourself in a tanning booth? Many governments think so. Mexico taxes junk food. Berkeley taxes sugary soft drinks. Countless governments tax alcohol and tobacco. Several states

November 10, 2015Donald Marron

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Can Behavioral Science Improve Tax Compliance?

In Sunday's New York Times, Richard Thaler laments that “as a general rule, the United States government is run by lawyers who occasionally take advice...

July 9, 2012Donald Marron