Over at Mises Canada, my Saturday article worked through the finer points of a better way to discuss unemployment. One problem with current measures is that the actual unemployment rate has little bearing on how difficult it is to get a job. There are periods with high numbers of unemployed masses but with many people finding a job, and stagnant periods where not many people lack work, but not many unemployed people are able to find work either.
It has become fashionable to attack and dismiss economics. In an age where the likes of Piketty can become an “authority” in the eyes of the public by writing a tome of scientifically questionable content but that says what people want to hear, it may seem like we are heading for a disruption in the study of economics.
Amazon’s new Fire phone is generating much buzz since being announce this week, and for good reason because it appears to be simply the latest impressive product a very impressive company has offered to consumers seeking to “alleviate the felt uneasiness” in their lives (to borrow a phrase from Mises).
Many teachers know that encouraging interest in the dismal science can be difficult because students often find economics abstract and, well, dismal. It’s basically a truism then that if economists want to engage students, we should use interesting and relatable examples. And more often than not, this means mining pop culture for teaching moments from music, TV, and film. Along these lines, I suggest economists begin to look to video games for inspiration as well.
