Policy & the Economy

December 5, 2018
What Google Is Teaching Economists About Unemployment Insurance
Search data can tell policymakers whether extending unemployment benefits delays job-seeking.
Scott R. Baker and Andrey Fradkin

December 4, 2018
Why Do Trainees Get Stuck with So Much Grunt Work?
There must be faster ways to get them up to speed. Yet grueling apprenticeships persist in medicine, law, and the trades.
Drew Fudenberg and Luis Rayo

November 6, 2018
How Closely Do Our Beliefs About Social Mobility Match Reality?
The answer differs between Americans and Europeans, and between liberals and conservatives.
Alberto Alesina, Stefanie Stantcheva and Edoardo Teso

August 14, 2018
How the Coffee Industry Is Building a Sustainable Supply Chain in an Unstable Region
Three experts discuss the challenges and rewards of sourcing coffee from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ameet Morjaria, Sara Mason and Angel Mario Martinez Garcia

July 3, 2018
Take 5: What Science Says about Your Summer Vacation
Kellogg faculty explore the psychology and economics of common travel conundrums.
Achal Bassamboo, Kent Grayson, Thomas N. Hubbard, Maryam Kouchaki, Martin Lariviere and Derek D. Rucker

July 3, 2018
Even for the Insured, a Hospital Stay Has Surprising Costs
The long-term financial toll extends far beyond medical bills.
Carlos Dobkin, Amy Finkelstein, Raymond Kluender and Matthew J. Notowidigdo

June 4, 2018
How a Genetically Modified Soybean Helped Modernize an Economy
As Brazil’s farms became more efficient, workers shifted to manufacturing.
Paula Bustos, Bruno Caprettini, Jacopo Ponticelli and Gabriel Garber

May 8, 2018
How to Make Economic Development More Inclusive
Two finance experts discuss the need to tailor strategies to specific underserved communities.
Janice C. Eberly and Don Graves

May 2, 2018
How the Potato Ushered in an Era of Peace
Its arrival in Europe had consequences that went far beyond diet.
Murat Iyigun, Nathan Nunn and Nancy Qian

April 5, 2018
Is Social Mobility Essential to Democracy?
It depends on the size and assumptions of the middle class.
Daron Acemoglu, Georgy Egorov and Konstantin Sonin

March 5, 2018
Does Lowering the Corporate Tax Rate Spur Economic Growth?
Results of a new study have implications for the recent U.S. tax overhaul.
Nir Jaimovich and Sergio Rebelo

February 2, 2018
Localized Natural Disasters Can Hurt an Entire Country’s Economy
A new study helps explain the economic ripple effects on supply chains.
Vasco Carvalho, Makoto Nirei, Yukiko Saito and Alireza Tahbaz-Salehi

December 1, 2017
How a “Robot Tax” Could Reduce Income Inequality
This tax can also be part of a plan to improve the economy as a whole.
João Guerreiro, Sergio Rebelo and Pedro Teles

November 2, 2017
How Do People Respond to Sales Tax Increases?
New research shows we aren’t as blasé as economists thought.
Scott R. Baker, Stephanie Johnson and Lorenz Kueng

July 7, 2017
What Makes Oil Prices So Volatile?
There’s more to the story than OPEC. Plus, how fracking stands to change the market.
Gideon Bornstein, Per Krusell and Sergio Rebelo

July 6, 2017
STEM Degrees Are Good for Careers. But Do They Lead to More Innovation?
Science, technology, engineering, and math education helps job prospects, but hurts the likelihood of becoming an inventor.
Nicola Bianchi and Michela Giorcelli

June 6, 2017
Does Immigration Help or Hurt Local Economies?
Historically, where immigrants cluster in the U.S., prosperity follows.
Nathan Nunn, Nancy Qian and Sandra Sequeira

May 4, 2017
Alaskans Get an Annual Check from the State. How Do They Spend It?
The answer depends on a family’s income, but not in the way many economists expected.
Lorenz Kueng

March 6, 2017
School Shootings Rise and Fall with the Unemployment Rate
Researchers set out to quantify gun violence at U.S. schools and made a surprising discovery.
Adam Pah, John Hagan, Andrew L. Jennings, Aditya Jain, Kat Albrecht, Adam J. Hockenberry and Luis A. Nunes Amaral

February 3, 2017
Why Are We So Quick to Borrow When the Value of Our Home Rises?
The reason isn’t as simple as just feeling wealthier.
Anthony DeFusco
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