Area: Economics

A Soviet Union propaganda poster for May Day in 1950 that features a man and woman. Research Brief / Economics

An Enemy’s Economic Success Sparked U.S. Congressional Cooperation

Bipartisan action rose amid reports of surprising Soviet Cold War economic growth

A lone red char in empty office. Research Brief / Investing

As Concentrated Shareholder Ownership Rises, Wages and Employment Suffer

Where big investors gather, corporate wealth is reallocated away from workers

Illustration of a man looking at a carrot while a magnet opens his head Research Brief / Nudges

Behavioral Economics: Are Nudges Cost-Effective?

A team of experts makes the financial case that governments should spend more on nudging

Illustration of a guillotine Research Brief / Cultural History

Beyond Angry Mobs: Intellectuals in the French Revolution

History’s Encyclopédie subscribers are matched to grievances against the monarchy

A line of 13 members of a family lined up to the mother at Ellis Island Research Brief / Globalization

Big Families — and Overall Population Growth — Lead People to Emigrate

Europe’s Great Migration to North America, 1850-1920, offers lessons for today’s immigration patterns

Inverted image of a calculator Research Brief / Taxes

Boo! Does Merely Mentioning an Audit Increase Taxpayer Compliance?

Research undermines the notion that companies coldly calculate tax avoidance

Monochrome photo of soldiers marching Research Brief / Cultural History

Bowling for Fascism: Exploring the Dark Side of Social Capital

In pre-World War II Germany, sports clubs became a vehicle to spread Nazism

Illustration of office buildings with a silhouette of a figure holding their arms out Research Brief / Taxes

Businesses Vastly Overestimate the Likelihood of Being Audited

Should tax-collecting agencies keep audit activity secret to discourage cheating?

Illustration of hands raised in blue, with one hand colored red Feature / Politics

Campaign Contributions Swayed by Neighbors’ Politics

A field experiment using public donation data indicates peer pressure matters

A white woman dressed in black sits in a chair while people walk behind her. Research Brief / Gender

Career Mentoring Default — Women for Women — Altered by Quality Data

A well-intentioned best practice, gender matching might not be optimal

Guillermo Moreno Research Brief / Economics

Citizens Are Not Fooled by Fake Statistics

What happened when the Argentine government lied about inflation numbers?

Illustration of businessman plugging ears with fingers and megaphone to the right of him, Research Brief / Politics

Closely Held Political Beliefs Often Immune to Conflicting Information – Even From Trusted Sources

People say they’d change their minds, but they mostly don’t

A color image of a genome. Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

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

Two workers in protective gear conducting drive-up COVID-19 testing Research Brief / COVID-19

Comprehensive COVID-19 Screening Would Pay for Itself Many Times Over

Reliable, widespread testing regimen could help jump-start economy

Jay Powell Research Brief / Markets

Corporate Bond Market Meltdown Averted after Fed Action

Decade-old bank-risk limits may have exacerbated liquidity problems

Research Brief / Gender

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