Tuesday's Assorted Links
North Korea, airline profits, amusement parks, college majors, and Father's Day
Hi y’all! Here are five stories from this week that contained some neat applications of economic principles or are related to teaching:
North Korea’s economy is apparently booming [Morning Brew]
Airline profits are expected to be halved this year due to rising fuel prices [Gizmodo]
The twisty economics of amusement parks [The Hustle]
In 2021, just five US colleges offered AI majors; now there are at least 74 majors on the subject [University Business]
US consumers are expected to spend a record $27.9 billion to celebrate Dad [National Retail Federation]
International visitors are going viral this summer for their overwhelmed reactions to ordinary American stores and experiences. It turns out a Soviet politician had the exact same reaction to a Houston grocery store in 1989, and what he took away from it helped bring down the USSR. The economics connecting those two moments are more fascinating than you’d expect.
The World Cup's Most Unexpected Highlight
More than a million international visitors will descend on the United States for the FIFA World Cup this summer. They’re coming for the soccer matches, but a lot of them have already carved out time to get a taste of what the States have to offer off the pitch.
Are you an educator looking for ways to introduce this week’s newsletter into your classroom? Sign up for the Classroom Edition of Monday Morning Economist to get assessments and lesson plans delivered straight to your inbox every week.