The always enlightening Freakonomics podcast has taken on the sometimes controversial of tipping.
And host Steven D. Levitt, an economist, is not a big fan of the practice.
That’s probably why the award-winning podcast interviewed Cornell University professor Michael Lynn, who has written 51 academic papers on the subject.
“I haven’t done it with the most recent records,” Lynn said, “but approximately $40 billion is tipped each year in the United States.”
Lynn teaches at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Management. He says tipping should be banned because it is inherently discriminatory; slender, buxom white women get tipped the most. A study shows that in countries where tipping is prominent, there is also high corruption likely present.
Listen to the Freakonomics podcast here, and head over to MSN to read a case against tipping.
Do you agree that tipping should be banned? Let us know in the comments.