Logic of Life in the New York Times

Dear Economist, I gave my sister a 30 per cent share of my mortgage when buying a new house two years ago so she could get on the property ladder. In return, she gave me some money towards the deposit on the house – about 20 per cent of the total put down. Given my larger share of the investment and commitment, should I get a greater proportion of the equity than my 70 per cent share, if and when we sell? Ben

Nurses leave Nigeria and come to the UK, hoping for a better career. Farmers leave Mexico to work in construction or catering in the US. Such migrants can have a profound impact on the economy, as well as the society and politics both of the country they leave and the country to which they move. Social scientists, naturally, take an interest. But one economist, Edward Castronova of Indiana University, studies an unusual kind of migration. Unhappy with your job as a Starbucks barista? Why not become a starship captain instead? Impossible if you stay in the country of your birth, but simplicity itself if, instead, you emigrate to an online fantasy world...