Critical Response
Linda S. Ghent, Professor in the Department of Economics at Eastern Illinois University, discusses some economic themes in this episode:
- Elaine comes up with the idea of selling only the top parts of muffins; within days her old boss has opened a muffin-top store, capitalizing on her idea. Elaine needs protection for her idea, which is the role of the patent/trademark system. Innovation involves the introduction of a new good or new method of production or the development of a new market. Intellectual property rights provide control of distinct types of creations of the mind.
Ghent also describes the "stumps" of the muffins as a lack of utility, since even homeless people won't eat them.
Read more about this topic: The Muffin Tops
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