I love going to the movies. It really helps me to relax after a long day of teaching. This week, I went to see Murder on the Orient Express with my nephew, Paul. The movie, based on an Agatha Christie novel, tells the story of a murder committed on a stranded train. Hercule Poirot, the
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“Ha!” exclaimed my nephew, Paul, during our weekly visit to the swimming pool. “I read in the newspaper that the Dutch economy grew by 3.4% in the last quarter.” I replied: “Quite spectacular, isn’t it, in particular because economists like Robert Gordon recently predicted that developed countries could at best achieve a long-run growth rate
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My nephew, Paul, works for a sandwich shop chain. Recently, he was promoted to the chain’s management team. Paul and I celebrated his promotion over a couple of beers. While chatting about the chain’s business model, Paul asked: “Any idea how to optimally set the price of a sandwich?” An Economics 101 question, so it
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2016 was in many respects a happy year for me. Two of my favorite economists, Bengt Holmström and Oliver Hart, won the Nobel Prize “for their contributions to contract theory.” Perhaps even better: My girlfriend, who is a civil servant, earned a bonus the size of a monthly salary. While we were celebrating all this
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In our annual family weekend last spring, my nephew, Paul, organized a beer tasting test. He let us taste seven Dutch beers: Heineken, Grolsch, Bavaria, and some lesser-known brands including one from a supermarket. The question was simple: which beer is from which of the seven brands? The outcome: Each family member had about one
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“We aim to foster independent minds with an impact on international business and society at large by offering research-based teaching that meets the highest international standards.” This might sound familiar. It is part of the Economics & Business department’s mission statement. During my graduate studies, I shared a flat with Richard Engelfriet. If ever I’ve
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While reading this, you might be taking a well-deserved break from studying hard for an exam of a course, which you find impossible to imagine any use for in your future career. You might even hate the program director for adding this course to your study program. Well, I think you should actually thank him!
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My nephew, Paul, loves watching football. Until quite recently, I found this hard to understand. Where is the fun in sitting through a 90-minute match in which close to zero entertainment is offered, hardly any goals are scored (2.5 goals per match, on average), and random mistakes by referees can have a disproportional influence on
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I love going to the movies. Of course, I am not the only one. But as an economist, I might look at things through slightly different lenses than most people. Take the Pathé Unlimited card that is offered by Pathé, the largest cinema chain in the Netherlands. The card costs € 19 and provides access
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