Owen Rust - Economics Online

Today's workers may be less productive due to technological advances intended to distract them.

Attention as an Economic Resource

Published on February 21, 2026

Firms will soon be using AI modeling to determine their optimal level of output and pricing.

Algorithmic Collusion Without Communication

Published on February 20, 2026

When you are shopping online, is the seller using psychological tricks to manipulate you into buying more?

Dark Patterns and the Economics of Consumer Mistakes

Published on January 23, 2026

The high costs of data centers has limited the expansion of AI for now, creating an oligopoly market.

Compute Constraints and the New Economics of Scarcity in AI

Published on January 22, 2026

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, meaning our attention is a valuable asset to advertisers!

Attention Markets and the Economics of Time Scarcity

Published on January 18, 2026

When you purchase a new digital product, does your usage data from your old product transfer seamlessly to the new one?

Data Portability and Competition Policy in Digital Markets

Published on January 17, 2026

The Covid pandemic created the remote work revolution and allowed urban workers to take their city wages to the suburbs.

Remote Work and the Geography of Wages

Published on January 17, 2026

Today, firms use massive sets of data just as they would any other factor of production.

Data as Capital: Rethinking the Factors of Production

Published on January 16, 2026

If AI software scans you and decides you want the product more than average, should it be able to charge you more money?

AI Price Discrimination and the End of the “Uniform Price”

Published on January 15, 2026

Today, the labor market is undergoing yet another evolution thanks to both applicants and hiring managers using AI.

Algorithmic Hiring and the New Labor Market Matching Function

Published on January 09, 2026