Mr. Spock and Homer Simpson: The Two Sides of Human Economic Behavior Webinar

• Learn why economists assume people are “rational” despite it sometimes being false.
• Realize that humans are both Mr. Spock (rationa) and Homer Simpson (irrational), and how to optimize decisions from both.
• Explore how to use various economic models and theories to explain human behaviors—the reactions to various policies and incentives.
• Understand the principle of revealed preference; why there is usually a gap between what people say and what they do.
• Gain an understanding of the critical importance of price theory: how prices transmit information, allocate resources and distribute income.
• Learn why people cheat and learn the theory of fraud.
• Debate the morality and ethics of various policies and issues facing citizens today.

• How parents decide to divide their wealth.
• Is population growth a blessing or a curse?
• Does the government deficit and the trade deficit hurt or help the economy?
• Why do laundries charge less for men’s shirts than for women’s?
• Do companies really plan obsolescence?
• Why are shopping carts getting bigger?
• Why is movie theater popcorn so expensive?
• Should there be a free market in human organs?