1. Read the article of "Berkeley's Soda Tax Appears To Cut Consumption Of Sugary Drinks" http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/23/491104093/berkeleys-soda-tax-appears-to-cut-consumption-of-sugary-drinks

Discuss the major factors that would make the demand for soda elastic. Discuss how the price elasticity of demand for soda might explain the lower consumption of sugary drinks. If Berkeley were hoping to collect a high tax revenue, what would help more: a price elastic demand for soda or a price inelastic demand for soda? Discuss why.

According to a new study, consumption of sugary drinks are down by 20%. Do you think this is a result of Soda Tax? Explain in detail. Discuss and explain the division of tax burden (the tax incidence) of Berkeley's Soda Tax between buyers and sellers.

3. Read the article of It Turns Out Paying People to Take the Covid-19 Vaccine Doesn't Really Work

Discuss the main point of the news article. Discuss in detail why and how taking the Covid-19 Vaccine is an economic decision. Discuss in detail the importance of rationality in making the decision of whether to take the Covid-19 Vaccine or not.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. It Turns Out Paying People to Take the Covid-19 Vaccine Doesn't Really Work Recent evidence suggests inancial incentives, public-health messaging have done little to boost vaccination rates among those already vaccine-hesitant A girl in Pine Lawn Mo, in August showed off two St. Louis Cardinals baseba ccinated. PHOTO LAURIE SKRIVAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS By Talal Ensari By Oct. 26, 2021 9:00 am ET Financial incentives, public-health messages and other tactics used by state and local governments and employers to encourage people to get the Covid-19 vaccine didn't have a noticeable impact on vaccination rates among those who already were hesitant about getting the shot, new research shows. What's more, the strategies sometimes had the opposite effect of their intended design on certain groups of people, illustrating how difficult it has been to lift U.S. vaccination rates as the pandemic drags on, according to a recent study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research. "While messages increased vaccination intentions, none of the treatments increased overall vaccination rates," ac- cording to the study, written by professors from the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles, and doctors from Contra Costa Health Services. The study looked at surveys and data gathered from California's Contra Costa County (population about 1.1 million in 2020) that focused on health messaging as well as cash incentives. It looked at gender, race and ethnicity, age, and whether the person supported former President Trump or President Biden during the 2020 presidential election. In certain subgroups, the study found that financial incentives and negative messages decreased vaccination rates, particularly among those over 40 and those who said they backed Mr. Trump. Similar research from earlier this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which looked specif- ically at large state lottery drawings of up to $1 million, found that there was little to no change in vaccination up- take. The lottery trend began in Ohio in May, when the state an- nounced the "Vax-a-Million" lottery drawings. For five straight weeks, Ohio residents who received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine were eligible to win $1 mil- lion. "No statistically significant association was detected be- tween a cash-drawing announcement and the number of vaccinations before or after the announcement date," said Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom drew numbers in June for the state's vaccine-incentive program. the report in the Journal of the American Medical Asso- PHOTO: PAUL KITAGAKI JR/ASSOCIATED PRESS ciation. Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's press secretary Dan Tierney disputed the research for his state. "When you look at when the date of shots administered were relative to the announcement, we saw in the first week a significant increase, Mr. Tierney said. "That was sustained in the second week, especially amongst younger age groups."California announced a similar lottery. The state selected 30 winners on "$50,000 Fridays." Two million California ans who began and completed their Covid-19 vaccina- VAX FOR JAR WN tions earlier this year were eligible for a $50 gift card. THE ALTY THOUSAN Similar incentives have popped up all around the coun- try. At least 18 states have offered a form of financial assistance for people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the National Governors Association. off? 4States Pile On Covid-19 Vaccine Incentives, will They Pay Some 67.2% of the eligible population in the U.S. has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Cen- Earlier: Across the country, states shelled out incentives ranging from free beer to $1 million lotteries to encourage ters for Disease Control and Prevention. residents to get their Covid-19 shots. But is the effort to boost vaccination rates working? And is it worth the cost? Photo composite: Adam Falk/The Wall Street Journal "Reaching a goal of very high vaccination rates likely re- quires much stronger policy levers, such as employer rules or government mandates," said the study in the National Bureau of Economic Research. Do good Win big Efforts to boost vaccination rates have picked up across VOX much of the U.S. Governments in some states and cities are requiring employees to get vaccinated, without a test- NEVADA ing option. Some governments are taking steps to ad- DAYS dress thousands of employees who haven't complied. July 8 -Aug 25 Others, such as Texas, are taking a different approach. Texas businesses and other private entities are banned from re- quiring Covid-19 vaccinations for employees, Republic In June, officials in Nevada spoke about a progr am that automat entered Nevadans who had had can Gov. Greg Abbott said in an executive order earlier at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine into a weekly drawing offering cash and prizes. this month. PHOTO: ELLEN SCHMIDT/ASSOCIATED PRESS Ahead of a vaccine mandate for New York City municipal workers taking effect Friday, what appeared to be hundreds of protesters-many wearing their uniforms-blocked traffic Monday on the Brooklyn Bridge. In Chicago, dozens of city workers also protested outside City Hall in opposition to a similar vaccine mandate. More large U.S. companies, including General Electric Co. and Union Pacific Corp. , are imposing vaccine re- quirements to meet a Dec. 8 deadline set by the Biden administration for companies that are federal contractors. The White House also has said it planned to require companies that employ 100 or more workers to require their employees be vaccinated or undergo regular Covid-19 testing, but that policy is awaiting a formal rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. While some large companies, such as Walt Disney Co. and meatpacker Tyson Foods Inc., have imposed mandates, most businesses are awaiting more details from OSHA. Some companies have pushed back return-to-office plans, and some business groups have raised concerns about the burden of complying with the standard. Write to Talal Ansari at talal.ansari@wsj.com Copyright @2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 Appeared in the October 27, 2021, print edition as 'Financial Incentives Do Little to Boost Vaccinations.' 2