Discover 385 opportunities in economics

With Valentine’s Day approaching, it's intriguing to explore the economics of love—how much we spend, why we do it, and whether it’s worth the investment. Romance, like any market, operates on supply, demand and consumer behaviour with prices fluctuating based on cultural expectations and economic conditions. Valentine’s Day traces its origins to ancient Rome, where the festival of Lupercalia on Feb 13-15 celebrated fertility and matchmaking. Later, it was linked to Saint Valentine, a priest who secretly performed marriages against Emperor Claudius II’s orders and was executed on February 14, 269 AD. By the 14th century, poets like Geoffrey Chaucer romanticised the day, associating it with courtship. By the 19th century, mass-produced Valentine’s cards became popular, evolving into today’s global celebration of love, marked by gifts, flowers, and heartfelt gestures1.

Imagine waking up to a sunrise in Bali, working from a café in Lisbon, and closing your laptop for a hike in Medellín—all in the same year. Welcome to the life of a digital nomad. Digital nomadism is more than a lifestyle; it’s a transformative shift in how people approach work. Digital nomads are professionals who leverage technology to work remotely while travelling the globe, free from the constraints of a fixed office. This trend has gained massive momentum, driven by advances in communication tools, globalisation, and the COVID-19 pandemic, which normalised remote work across industries. The numbers back this up. According to Upwork, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025—a staggering 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels(1). Buffer’s 2023 State of Remote Work report revealed that 91% of respondents have a positive experience with working remotely with 1% being dissatisfied and 8% feeling neutral. 98% of remote workers would recommend it to others (2). These trends show that technology and shifting work-life balance priorities are reshaping what it means to “have a job.”