Area: Economics

An aerial photo of a work site Research Brief / Economy

World Economy 9.6% Bigger Without Investment Barriers

In a model, cultural differences matter as much as geography, institutional distinctions or capital constraints

View of an empty office building Research Brief / Workplace

Work From Home: Adjustments Still to Come?

The history of industrial transformation suggests more gradual change

Woman walking through a courtyard Research Brief / Gender

Women Are Likelier to Drop Out after Early Political Loss

But the “persistence gap” in seeking elective office narrows with experience

Image of yawning newborn baby in bassinet Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

Why the COVID-19 Baby Bust May Be Far Smaller Than Expected

Access to birth control among lower-income women was curtailed by pandemic’s lockdown

Five illustrated figures interact with coffee and snacks Research Brief / Cultural History

Why Can’t We All Get Along? On Some Things, We Do

The narrative of a growing cultural divide, while partly true, conceals a more nuanced picture

Forklift in a warehouse Research Brief / Manufacturing

When Manufacturers Commence Exporting, They Become More Efficient

Looking at costs, in a sample of 5,000 plants in Chile, remarkable productivity gains occur

An illustration that has interlocking chains to represent blockchain Research Brief / Currencies

What Happens to Pesos When Dollars Go Digital?

As major central banks adopt digital currency, emerging countries will feel mixed effects

A crowd of people holding numbered range bidding paddles Research Brief / Strategy

What Causes Overbidding in Auctions?

Does it come down to poor valuations or poor strategy?

Posters for various candidates for the French presidential election Research Brief / Politics

Voters Often Opt for Candidate They Expect to Win

The bandwagon effect boosts the top vote-getter in preliminary rounds

Collage of women forming a larger image of a woman Research Brief / Cultural History

Using Ancestral Characteristics to Study Modern Economics

A database of pre-industrial sampling supports historical and ethnographic research

A graph illustration showing the equilibrium of labor supply and labor demand Primer / Minimum Wage

Through the Minimum Wage Looking Glass: Economic Consensus Unrealized

Researchers struggle with faulty study designs, flyspecking each other’s work, re-arguing decades of debate about jobs and income

An illustration featuring text that reads "happiness" and other items such as scissors and a ruler Feature / Happiness

The Unhappy Quest for a Happiness Index

Pushing aside GDP for a measure of human well-being turns out to be very, very difficult. Ask Dan Benjamin

Light black door open in abstract style on dark background. Research Brief / Wealth Inequality

The Transformative Potential of Financial Reparations

Payouts to victims of Colombia’s decadeslong armed conflict suggest benefits may exceed the initial cost

A flow chart overlaid on programming language. Research Brief / Technology

The Trade-Off Between Fairness and Accuracy in Algorithm Design

What happens when data is excluded?

Two men sit on a bench in a scene from the TV show "Silicon Valley." Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

The Role of Chance Encounters in Silicon Valley Innovation

Cellphone signals and patent citations approximate a theory’s long-sought paper trail

Monochrome picture of people disembarking a ship Feature / Politics

The Long-Term Political Influence of Immigrants

Europeans brought an appreciation of social welfare programs that still resonates