Society & Economy
22 articles
The 2021 Inflation Surge
The 2021 inflation surge was the broadest in decades, not the worst
A World Map of Drinking
A world map of drinking, and what the colors give away
The Bechdel Test at 50
The Bechdel test at 50: the pass rate climbed, then stopped
Bird Strikes on Approach
Birds do not hit planes at cruise. They hit them on approach.
Premiums and Road Risk
Higher insurance premiums do not mean more dangerous roads
Two Americas of Driving Risk
Two Americas of driving risk, and the insurer charges them the same
The Aging of Congress
Congress got older, but it took a detour first
Disease in the Crimea
In the Crimea, disease killed eight soldiers for every one the enemy did
A Century of Disasters
Five years killed 44% of everyone who died in a natural disaster since 1900
Gas Prices and Driving
For fifty years, gas prices barely changed how much Americans drove
Money and Life Expectancy
Money buys life expectancy, but the receipt is brutal
When Coders Commit
The 9-to-5 I went looking for was not in the commits
US Health Spending
The US spent $7,194 more per person than Japan and died 7.7 years sooner
The Health-Spending Gap
In 1991 the US health-spending gap crossed $1,000 and never came back
Jobs That Switched Gender
The job that went from all-male to 96% female
College Majors and Pay
Your major sets the odds, not the salary
Box-Office Economics
Spend more, make more, but a third of films lose money anyway
Aging and Sex Ratios
At 90, there are three women for every man
How People Tip
Tip 18.6% on a small check, 13.3% on a big one
Unemployment by Industry
Construction hit 27% unemployment. Government never cracked 6.
The Jobs That Vanished
Construction lost almost a third of its jobs, and never got them back
Who Owns the Economy
Five countries own half the world economy