Efraim Benmelech
Henry Bullock Professor of Finance & Real Estate; Director of the Guthrie Center for Real Estate Research; Director of the Crown Family Israel Center for Innovation
For Corporations, Secured Debt Is Out
The last century has seen a dramatic shift toward unsecured debt thanks to improved accounting practices and a desire for financial flexibility.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Nitish Kumar and Raghuram G. Rajan
August 23, 2024
Where Is Commercial Real Estate Headed Next?
Experts discuss the latest trends, from demolishing office space to repurposing malls (again) to riding out the end of the warehouse boom.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Kimberly Adams, Suzanne Martinez and Jay Weaver
July 18, 2023
Take 5: What We’ve Learned about Tackling Public-Health Crises
Covid-era research sheds light on how policymakers can guide the economy and the public through future emergencies.
Researchers: Scott R. Baker, Efraim Benmelech, Paola Sapienza, Angela Y. Lee, Benjamin F. Jones, Ryan Hill, Dashun Wang and and coauthors
January 21, 2023
Tesla Deserves an A for Its Financial Management
Elon Musk should be commended for being in the position to even think about stock buybacks right now.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
November 2, 2022
Unilever Should Divest Ben & Jerry’s
An economist offers his perspective on why the food giant has some big decisions to make in the wake of a court ruling against its ice cream subsidiary.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
September 1, 2022
Real Estate Investors See Opportunity, Despite Inflation and Uncertainty
“The pace at which the world is changing in terms of how people use space is extremely exciting.”
Researchers: Kimberly Adams, Seth Singerman and Efraim Benmelech
June 14, 2022
Did China’s One-Child Policy Prompt Households to Save More?
Researchers investigate whether the lack of a “family safety net” is responsible for China’s singularly high household savings rate.
Researchers: Scott R. Baker, Efraim Benmelech, Zhishu Yang and Qi Jacky Zhang
June 3, 2022
Apple’s Inflation Problem
The company faces a “double whammy” due to its cash hoarding.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
May 5, 2022
What Can We Learn from Amazon’s Stock Split?
We may have to wait and see what this move signals for the tech sector.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
March 17, 2022
The Robots Are Not Coming
Those predictions of a robot takeover may not come to fruition.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
January 26, 2022
Should Americans Be Worried about Inflation Right Now?
Three economists with opposing views weigh in.
Researchers: Zhengyang Jiang, Nicolas Crouzet and Efraim Benmelech
August 6, 2021
How Green Are Green Bonds?
Large companies issuing green bonds may have more to do with interest rates than altruism.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
June 9, 2021
U.S. Firms Are Investing Heavily in Innovation, Yet Economic Productivity Has Slowed. Why?
The answer may lie in how pharmaceutical companies are targeting their R&D spending.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Janice C. Eberly, Joshua Krieger and Dimitris Papanikolaou
June 1, 2021
Bonds. Corporate Bonds.
Corporate bond markets have proven remarkably resilient during the pandemic—and companies with strong credit are poised to benefit.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
April 26, 2021
Is Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine the Next Blockbuster Drug?
Investors are keeping a close eye on the drug firm’s vaccine advances. But the company’s longer-term fortunes may lie elsewhere.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
November 23, 2020
One Key Trait That Predicts How Much People Will Socially Distance
This new research could help policymakers deliver more effective COVID-safety messaging.
Researchers: John Barrios, Efraim Benmelech, Yael V Hochberg, Paola Sapienza and Luigi Zingales
November 4, 2020
Airlines and COVID-19: The Turbulence Ahead
With demand still down and debts mounting, the industry looks ahead.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
October 30, 2020
Tesla’s Stock Offering: Not Their First nor Their Last
Here’s why they’re at it again.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
October 2, 2020
How Credit Ratings Are Shaping Governments’ Responses to Covid-19
To fund pandemic-related spending, governments around the world will need to take on more debt. If they can.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
September 2, 2020
How to Secure Credit During a Financial Crisis
The key? Don’t tap your best collateral in good times.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech
June 24, 2020
What’s Causing Wage Stagnation in America?
Previous explanations pointed to globalization and automation. But research shows that employer concentration is also to blame.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Nittai K. Bergman and Hyunseob Kim
December 2, 2019
Take 5: What Business Leaders Can Learn from the Military
Army colonels share advice on recruiting millennials, managing up, and keeping the broader mission in mind.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Carola Frydman, Col. Robert Carr, Col. Brian Halloran, Michael Musso, William "Chip" Horn and Dan Friend
September 5, 2019
Take 5: Tips for Widening—and Improving—Your Candidate Pool
Common biases can cause companies to overlook a wealth of top talent.
Researchers: Lauren Rivera, Paola Sapienza, J. Keith Murnighan, Michael J. Mazzeo, Efraim Benmelech, Carola Frydman and Nicola Persico
September 7, 2018
Podcast: What Veterans Can Bring to Your Organization
A discussion of how former soldiers make loyal employees and trustworthy CEOs.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Carola Frydman and Dan Friend
August 3, 2018
To Stop ISIS Recruitment in Western Countries, Promote Assimilation
An outsized number of radicalized recruits come from prosperous, egalitarian nations where Muslims feel isolated.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech and Esteban Klor
March 8, 2017
Why Did Car Sales Drop So Dramatically During the Financial Crisis?
Even willing buyers were affected by a credit freeze.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Ralf R. Meisenzahl and Rodney Ramcharan
April 4, 2016
How Malls Die—and How Your Business Could Be Next
When retail-store locations go under, they drag nearby stores down too.
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech, Nittai K. Bergman, Anna Milanez and Vladimir Mukharlyamov
October 6, 2014
Do Former Soldiers Make Better CEOs?
Chief executives with military experience perform better under pressure and are much less likely to commit corporate fraud
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech and Carola Frydman
February 3, 2014
How Bankruptcy Spreads
The bankruptcy of a single airline can reduce collateral values industry-wide
Researchers: Efraim Benmelech and Nittai K. Bergman
January 2, 2013