Tuesday's Assorted Links

Surveillance pricing, VEEP, electric cars, Cuban emigration, and Olympic security

Hi y’all! Here are five stories from this week that contained some neat applications of economic principles or are related to teaching:

1. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched a study of products that could allow companies to set different prices for consumers based on their locations, past purchases, and other personal data [Associated Press]

2. Thousands of viewers are revisiting Veep with viewership up 353% last week in the wake of Kamala Harris’s political ascent [Deadline]

3. Ethiopia became the first country in the world to ban the import of gas and diesel cars, but the country has only around 50 charging stations [Rest of World]

4. Between 2022 and 2023, 10% of Cuba’s population emigrated as the country’s economy tanked and the government suppressed dissent [Reason Magazine via The Miami Hearld]

5. There are an estimated 77,000 police, soldiers, and private security guards protecting the Paris Olympics — the city’s largest peacetime security operation [The Wall Street Journal]

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Airlines are struggling to fill captain roles despite offering higher pay. Why? Pilots prefer the better work-life balance as first officers, and the diminishing returns of additional income play a significant role.

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