Policy & the Economy

June 1, 2022
How Local Disruptions Can Affect the Global Supply Chain
A new study of the Kenyan flower industry can help buyers and suppliers prepare for uncertainty.
Christopher Ksoll, Rocco Macchiavello and Ameet Morjaria

June 1, 2022
How One Tax Reform Led to More Women in the Workforce Decades Later
A study of a major fiscal change in Italy shows how much individual lives are affected when governments get more efficient.
Nicola Bianchi, Michela Giorcelli and Enrica Maria Martino

June 1, 2022
Consumers Pay When Generic Drug Companies Collude. Here’s a Way to Stop Them.
Price-fixing by pharmaceutical cartels can cost billions, and the threat of lawsuits isn’t enough to deter it.
Amanda Starc and Thomas G. Wollman

May 3, 2022
Larry Summers on Inflation and the Fed’s Attempts to Cool the Economy
In a recent Q&A with Kellogg’s Jan Eberly, Summers is skeptical that the economy can achieve a “soft landing.”
Larry Summers and Janice C. Eberly

May 1, 2022
Tackling Global Poverty Takes More Than Cash
New research points to the power of including psychosocial interventions—such as group problem-solving—alongside economic ones.
Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry and and coauthors

April 29, 2022
Why Are U.S. Companies Hoarding So Much Cash?
More than anything else, it comes down to taxes.
Michael Faulkender, Kristine W. Hankins and Mitchell A. Petersen

April 29, 2022
Why Sanctions Against Russia Are Falling Short
Game theory offers an explanation.
Sandeep Baliga

April 26, 2022
China Is Caught in a COVID-19 Trap of Its Own Making
Why moderating its “zero-COVID” strategy is proving difficult.
Nancy Qian

April 8, 2022
How Does Economic Uncertainty Play Out at the Local Level?
Indexing policy uncertainty by state provides new insights—and offers local governments a cautionary tale.
Scott R. Baker, Steve Davis and Jeffrey Levy

April 6, 2022
3 Economic Implications of Russia’s War on Ukraine
“We are seeing a world that’s going to be less than the sum of its parts.”
Sergio Rebelo

April 5, 2022
We Hear a Lot about New Drugs. But What Spurs Innovation in Medical Procedures?
There’s been little research on what brings about new procedures, despite how life-changing they can be.
David Dranove, Craig Garthwaite, Christopher Heard and Bingxiao Wu

April 4, 2022
When Interest Rates Climb, Some Workers Are Left Behind
When the Fed moves to cool the economy, it can disproportionately hurt female, Black, and less-educated workers in slack labor markets.
Nittai K. Bergman, David A. Matsa and Michael Weber

April 1, 2022
How Social Stigma Can Dissuade Us from Taking Care of Our Health
A new study explores the decisions that go into seeking preventative care.
Chethana Achar, Lea Dunn and Nidhi Agrawal

March 17, 2022
Will Putin's War Slow China's Growth?
The additional spike in food and energy prices caused by the Russia–Ukraine conflict could be devastating for China. But the country’s neutral political stance toward the war may also yield economic gains.
Nancy Qian

March 14, 2022
5 Things You May Not Know about Tax Policy
How do income taxes impact people’s career choices? And do soda taxes actually work?
Charles Nathanson, Anna Tuchman, Filippo Mezzanotti, Therese McGuire and Sergio Rebelo

March 11, 2022
How Climate Disasters Ripple Through the Labor Market
Environmental crises are increasingly leading workers to migrate. What happens next?
Albert Christoph, Paula Bustos and Jacopo Ponticelli

February 10, 2022
6 Takeaways on Today’s Economy
A finance professor breaks down the data on inflation, the labor market, and the future of cities.
Sergio Rebelo

February 2, 2022
Psychological Factors—More Than Demographics—Drive Vaccine Behavior
The finding gives policymakers and medical professionals an important tool.
Angela Y. Lee, Jiaqian Wang, Ulf Bockenholt, Leonard Lee, Rafal Ohme and Catherine Yeung

February 1, 2022
Is an Efficient Government Always a Good Thing?
History sheds light on how processes designed to serve citizens can also be put to nefarious ends.
Leander Heldring

February 1, 2022
Covid Hit in an Era of Broadband and Zoom. How Much Did That Help the Economy?
A new study sheds light on the impact of remote work on GDP in 2020.
Janice C. Eberly, Jonathan Haskel and Paul Mizen
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