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The Market for Beauty

Aristotle is quoted as saying: “Personal beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of reference.” Perhaps he was waxing poetic about the soul, or perhaps he was foreseeing beauty-based discrimination in the labour market. Joel Lee explores the phenomenon of beauty premiums in the workplace and how economics can help us resolve it.

Happynomics

The connection between traditional economics indicators and human welfare is not always concrete. Joel Lee explores happiness economics, which seeks to find a much stronger relationship between the two.

Cultural Chickens and Economic Eggs

Which comes first? As economists become more and more willing to investigate this relationship, we may be inching closer to an answer. Joel Lee explores the expanding field of cultural economics.