57 pages 1 hour read

Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir

Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2013

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Essay Topics

1.

How does the concept of the “bandwidth tax” presented in Scarcity challenge traditional notions of poverty and decision-making?

2.

Discuss the concept of the “focus dividend” and its potential benefits and drawbacks. Can the focus dividend be sustainably harnessed without falling into the scarcity trap?

3.

How do Mullainathan and Shafir differentiate between scarcity in classical economics and the broader, more nuanced approach to scarcity they propose? Discuss the implications of their approach for economic theory and policy.