3Qs: Paradox at the pump

April 21, 2011 by

Gas prices nation­wide con­tinue to surge. The Energy Infor­ma­tion Admin­is­tra­tion reported that last week’s national average was $3.79 per gallon for reg­ular gaso­line, nearly a dollar higher than they were the same week in 2010. Assis­tant pro­fessor of eco­nomics Zhongmin Wang is an expert in reg­u­la­tory and energy eco­nomics and is cur­rently researching strategic pricing behavior in var­ious gaso­line mar­kets. Here, he dis­cusses the ebb and flow of gas prices throughout the year, why they are at record highs, and their eco­nomic impact.

Photo by Dreamstime

3Qs: The human costs of high food prices

March 30, 2011 by

A new study by the World Bank found that food prices have increased 30 per­cent over the last year, dri­ving some 44 mil­lion people into extreme poverty since June. Grig­o­rios Livanis, assis­tant pro­fessor of inter­na­tional busi­ness and strategy at North­eastern Uni­ver­sity, assesses the problem.

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