Owen Rust - Economics Online

As AI makes fake news harder to distinguish from factual information, will consumers begin paying for verified sources?

The Economics of Deepfake Detection: Trust, Verification, and Information Markets

Published on November 20, 2025

Will microcredentials come to compete with traditional four-year college degrees in the labor market?

The Rebundling of Higher Education: Platforms, Credentials, and Market Signaling

Published on November 16, 2025

Remote workers argue that they are more productive working from home, but research rarely agrees.

The Productivity Paradox of Remote Work

Published on November 10, 2025

This influencer may be popular today, but this popularity will fade quickly due to the economic law of diminishing marginal returns.

The Economics of Creator Burnout: When Attention Becomes a Depleting Resource

Published on November 07, 2025

Want to rent a house for a weekend getaway? Customers get convenience, but there are risks!

The Sharing Economy’s Hidden Costs: From Access to Precarity

Published on November 07, 2025

Blockchain technology allows for the permanent record of ownership of a digital asset.

The Economics of NFT Scarcity and Digital Ownership

Published on October 24, 2025

That in-dash navigation system in your new car is convenient...but is it included in the purchase of the vehicle?

The Subscription to Everything Economy

Published on October 24, 2025

What tools can companies use to convince consumers to buy more expensive sustainable consumption options?

Behavioral Nudges in Sustainable Consumption

Published on October 24, 2025

Algorithms are used by today's social media platforms to determine which posts we see.

The Economics of Algorithmic Curation in News and Media

Published on October 24, 2025

Many restaurants on delivery apps like Door Dash and Uber Eats are actually ghost kitchens without storefronts.

The Gig Economy of Cloud Kitchens

Published on October 19, 2025