Area: Economics
Cultural Polarization Isn’t New — But Its Alignment With Political Divisions Is
A new way to classify individuals delivers insights on social divisions and the culture war
Testing 17 Theories on the Development of Complex Civilizations
Large-scale data project produces stark conclusion: military technology + agricultural productivity caused the takeoff
Taxing Jet Fuel Could Reduce Airline Greenhouse Gas Emissions Now
Breakthrough technologies are years off for aviation, but incremental improvements are available
Amateurs Struggle To Incorporate Market Signals About Pricing into Their Trades
Disregarding data, novices often sail into strong winds
In U.S.-China Trade War, Bystander Countries Increase Exports
Higher demand from U.S. and China means expanding into new markets
How Oil Prices Distort Our View of Inflation
A favored Federal Reserve index fails to filter out petroleum’s impact
An Enemy’s Economic Success Sparked U.S. Congressional Cooperation
Bipartisan action rose amid reports of surprising Soviet Cold War economic growth
A Simplified Tax Code and Post-Communist Growth
Study suggests flat tax systems boosted GDP in former Soviet republics and satellites
The Role of Chance Encounters in Silicon Valley Innovation
Cellphone signals and patent citations approximate a theory’s long-sought paper trail
College Completion and Your Genome (Don’t Get Too Excited)
It’s still early days in genetic research, though advances will aid study of educational attainment and, notably, disease
How Dollar Stores Contribute to Food Deserts
Expanding chains drive out independent grocers, reduce access to fresh produce
How Far Would You Go for an Ivy League Kid?
Study finds interest in screening embryos for education propensity, especially if everyone else is doing it
Do Social Laws Always Cause a Backlash?
Laws that threaten ideological preferences prompt some opponents to adopt more extreme beliefs
As Concentrated Shareholder Ownership Rises, Wages and Employment Suffer
Where big investors gather, corporate wealth is reallocated away from workers
Measuring the Impact of Currency Moves on Consumer Prices
It varies across goods and services and can be blunted by monetary policy
COVID-19 Tactics Varied by Gender Among Brazilian Mayors Running for Reelection
Notable differences in death rates; it appears candidates factored in voter gender bias