University of Wisconsin–Madison

Year: 2025

The Billion-Dollar Cure? How GLP-1 Drugs Are Redefining Health, Wealth, and Access

Justin Plank | Spring 2025   Every year, the United States spends an estimated $173 billion treating obesity-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease, more than the annual budgets of 42 U.S. states combined. Amid this crisis, GLP-1 receptor agonists have emerged as a potential game-changer, offering not only weight loss but also the possibility …

Interview with Dr. Katy Milkman

Aaron Mathew, Editor-in-Chief | Spring 2025   Overview: Dr. Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the co-director of the Behavioral Change for Good Initiative alongside Dr. Angela Duckworth. Her research interests span behavioral economics, psychology, and research methodology, which she explores in her NYT …

Engel Curves and Their Implications for Income, Nutrition, and Poverty Measurement

Shloka Mohanty | Spring 2025   Engel curves illustrate how the consumption of goods changes as income increases. A classic example from ECON 301 is instant ramen noodles: as income rises, the consumption of this staple typically declines, classifying it as an inferior good. However, this relationship can vary by country.   In India, instant …

From the Pitch to the Algorithm: How Soccer Has Become a Nerd’s Game

Online Journal | Hazim Khairul (Ahmad Hazim bin Khairul) | January 2025 Introduction  “The problem in football is that there are a lot of statistics,” said Pep Guardiola, one of modern soccer’s greatest tacticians. Even Pep Guardiola, a pioneer in using data to refine tactics, is skeptical of soccer’s now overwhelming focus on numbers.  This …

Student-Athletes or Athlete-Students? The Economics of Collegiate Athletics in the NIL Era

Online Journal | Benjie Harthun | January 2025 In 2010, Reggie Bush forfeited his 2005 Heisman Trophy after an NCAA investigation found he had received impermissible benefits like rent-free housing and travel benefits while playing college football at the University of Southern California. Fast forward 14 years later, where the number one high school football …

A Heavy Price: The Economic and Social Costs of GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs

Online Journal | Justin Plank | January 2025 Background Every year, the United States spends an estimated $173 billion treating obesity-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease, more than the annual budgets of 42 U.S. states combined. Yet, medications like Wegovy and Ozempic, which could help address these issues, remain priced at over $1,300 per …