Policy & the Economy

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

January 5, 2017
Businesses Born in a Recession Tend to Start Smaller and Stay Smaller
Yet there are ways business owners can counter these long-term effects.
Sara Moreira

December 1, 2016
Video: How to Establish Trust in Financial Transactions
Hard statistics and an understanding of culture keep the money flowing between lenders and borrowers.
Bruce Carruthers and Paola Sapienza

November 2, 2016
What Good Is a Financial Advisor?
They may have your best interests in mind, but that doesn’t mean their advice is sound.
Stephen Foerster, Juhani T. Linnainmaa, Brian Melzer and Alessandro Previtero

November 2, 2016
Higher Taxes Can Make Altruistic Jobs More Attractive
But subsidizing these careers may ultimately do more good.
Benjamin B. Lockwood, Charles Nathanson and E. Glen Weyl

October 10, 2016
Finding the Right Performance Incentives to Motivate Employees
Some incentive schemes encourage hard work—others reward those who game the system.
Daniel Barron, George Georgiadis and Jeroen Swinkels

August 9, 2016
Disposable Income Is Rising in Africa. What Happens Next?
A Q&A about growth trends in African markets.
Ameet Morjaria and Aubrey Hruby

August 1, 2016
A Clever Strategy to Combat Free Riding
In any collaboration, the temptation to slack off is strong.
Jakša Cvitanić and George Georgiadis

July 5, 2016
Why Income Inequality among White Collar Workers Is Growing
Top earners benefit most from “knowledge hierarchies” in organizations.
Luis Garicano and Thomas N. Hubbard

July 5, 2016
Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 11: Which Bankruptcy System Is Better?
In certain markets, forcing companies to liquidate could cause offices and factories to sit empty.
Shai Bernstein, Emanuele Colonnelli and Benjamin Iverson

April 7, 2016
How the Wormhole Decade (2000–2010) Changed the World
Five implications no one can afford to ignore.
Sally Blount

February 1, 2016
Why Healthcare Spending Has Slowed
Is the Affordable Care Act getting too much credit?
David Dranove, Craig Garthwaite and Christopher Ody

February 1, 2016
Does Democracy Curb Corruption?
A clever study investigates the link between where roads are built and who is in power.
Robin Burgess, Remi Jedwab, Edward Miguel, Ameet Morjaria and Gerard Padró i Miquel

August 3, 2015
Two Distinct Motivations Drive Violence against Americans in the Middle East
Lessons about cultural dominance have implications for the business world.
Jim Sidanius, Nour Kteily, Shana Levin, Felicia Pratto and Milan Obaidi

June 2, 2015
Can Wikipedia Be Trusted?
Crowdsourced Wikipedia entries are more biased than Encyclopaedia Britannica articles.
Shane Greenstein and Feng Zhu

June 2, 2015
It Pays to Be Honest—Even When You’re Selling Junk
Disclosing flaws can drive auction bids up.
Steven Tadelis and Florian Zettelmeyer
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