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	<title>The Undercover Economist</title>
	
	<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover</link>
	<description>"The Undercover Economist", about economics in everyday life, and "Dear Economist", in which readers' questions are answered, tongue-in-cheek, with the latest economic theory</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:47:24 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>It’s not just Scrooge who wants Christmas abolished</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/it%e2%80%99s-not-just-scrooge-who-wants-christmas-abolished/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/it%e2%80%99s-not-just-scrooge-who-wants-christmas-abolished/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:47:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Undercover]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=2046</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Nobody has done more to damage relations between the joyous commercial festival that is Christmas and the economics profession than Joel Waldfogel. Long-term readers of this column will be well aware of Professor Waldfogel’s research paper, “The Deadweight Loss of Christmas”. Ever since it was published in 1993 it has been taken out by economic [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/it%e2%80%99s-not-just-scrooge-who-wants-christmas-abolished/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dear Economist: I love Walmart: my wife hates it. Help!</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-i-love-walmart-my-wife-hates-it-help/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-i-love-walmart-my-wife-hates-it-help/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:44:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=2026</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
My newlywed wife and I are deeply in love. There is, however, one issue that threatens the blissful fabric of our marriage. I absolutely insist upon shopping at Walmart. My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs.
I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-i-love-walmart-my-wife-hates-it-help/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Given the choice, how much choice would you like?</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/given-the-choice-how-much-choice-would-you-like/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/given-the-choice-how-much-choice-would-you-like/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:49:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Undercover]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=2006</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Is more choice better? Ten years ago the answer seemed obvious: Yes. Now the conventional wisdom is the opposite: lots of choice makes people less likely to choose anything, and less happy when they do choose.
The most famous supporting evidence is an experiment conducted by two psychologists, Mark Lepper and Sheena Iyengar. They set up [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/given-the-choice-how-much-choice-would-you-like/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dear Economist: How can I be fair to my grandchildren?</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-how-can-i-be-fair-to-my-grandchildren/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-how-can-i-be-fair-to-my-grandchildren/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:46:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1996</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My son has two children and my daughter four. I propose to give £5,000 to each grandchild in my will. Would this be equitable, given that £20,000 would go to my daughter’s side of the family and only £10,000 to my son’s?
Mr Robinson
Dear Mr Robinson,
Let me be frank: at first glance I thought your dilemma [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-how-can-i-be-fair-to-my-grandchildren/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How a celebrity chef turned into a social scientist</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/how-a-celebrity-chef-turned-into-a-social-scientist/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/how-a-celebrity-chef-turned-into-a-social-scientist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:21:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Undercover]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1971</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I do not count myself as one of Jamie Oliver’s army of fans, but after looking at the chirpy chef’s antics through the eyes of an economist, I am starting to acquire a grudging respect for him. Yes, the recipe books are all but unreadable, but his “school dinners” campaign has been surprisingly successful.
Oliver’s mission [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/how-a-celebrity-chef-turned-into-a-social-scientist/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dear Economist: Why a ‘pointless’ tax cut really counted</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-why-a-pointless-tax-cut-really-counted/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-why-a-pointless-tax-cut-really-counted/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:17:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1946</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the Chancellor of the Exchequer reduced value-added tax from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent as an incentive for consumers to spend, there was a widespread view that the reduction was too small to be of use. Now that we are approaching the time when VAT returns to 17.5 per cent, some retailers say [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-why-a-pointless-tax-cut-really-counted/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>My big decision</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/my-big-decision/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/my-big-decision/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:43:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Audio and Video]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Tim elsewhere]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1921</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Grant Thornton did a photo-shoot and audio interview with me a few months ago about &#8220;My Big Decision&#8221;. I told them I don&#8217;t believe in big decisions, but for all three die-hard Tim Harford fans out there, here&#8217;s the interview.
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/my-big-decision/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A “Dear Undercover Economist” video</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/a-dear-undercover-economist-video/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/a-dear-undercover-economist-video/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:55:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Audio and Video]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Something different]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1936</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Marketplace worked with me to produce this video about the economics of signalling in the workplace. They did a fantastic job, and you even get to hear my David Attenborough impression. The video is loosely based on one of the Dear Economist letters. Enjoy!
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/a-dear-undercover-economist-video/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Scroogenomics</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/scroogenomics/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/scroogenomics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:48:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1861</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Joel Waldfogel, author of &#8220;The Deadweight Loss of Christmas&#8221;, has a book on the subject, &#8220;Scroogenomics&#8220;. Appropriately, it is a quintessential gift: beautifully presented but under the glorious exterior there&#8217;s not that much there: it&#8217;s about the size of a pocket diary. I&#8217;d guess it&#8217;s 20,000 words, tops&#8230;
I like it, though, having read the first [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/scroogenomics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dear Economist: Why don’t all waiters get their just desserts?</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/dear-economist-why-don%e2%80%99t-all-waiters-get-their-just-desserts/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/dear-economist-why-don%e2%80%99t-all-waiters-get-their-just-desserts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:22:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do waiters in mid-priced restaurants work less than those at high-end ones? If not, shouldn’t their tips be the same (in absolute terms)?
Manoj
Dear Manoj,
I can see where you’re coming from: a 10 per cent tip on a £20 meal is less than a 10 per cent tip on a £100 meal. If it’s the same [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/dear-economist-why-don%e2%80%99t-all-waiters-get-their-just-desserts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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