Area: Economics

A sleeping baby wrapped in a white blanket wearing a black graduation cap with a red tasle Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

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

Thousands of exuberant backers of the Equal Rights Amendment, marched on Congress to plea for extension of the ratification deadline. Research Brief / Public Policy

Do Social Laws Always Cause a Backlash?

Laws that threaten ideological preferences prompt some opponents to adopt more extreme beliefs

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

A cargo ship loaded with cargo container sits at a dock in Iceland Research Brief / Pricing

Measuring the Impact of Currency Moves on Consumer Prices

It varies across goods and services and can be blunted by monetary policy

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

An overhead view of a herd heading toward water Research Brief / Cultural History

Societies With a Legacy of Herding: More Prone to Current Day Violence

A culture that valorized revenge among pre-industrial herders resonates today

An illustration of a woman pulling a suitcase as she walks toward her ride share. Research Brief / Ride-Sharing Services

Surge Pricing’s Benefits Go to a Subset of Ride-Hailing Drivers

Full-timers gain the least, part-time drivers the most

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

A female surgeon looks to two nurses as a male surgeon continues to work on a patient's foot. Research Brief / Gender Gap

Shorter Workweek Could Help Close the Gender Wage Gap

Study of medical residencies shows shift in women’s specialty choices when hours reduced

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

A women sitting in front of her laptop holding her toddler daughter Research Brief / Gender Gap

Long Before COVID-19, School Summer Breaks Disrupted Women’s Careers

Households with kids ages 6 to 12 feel the interruption most

An itemized bill of hospital care with a pen and phone laid on top Research Brief / Health Care

Hospital Financial-Aid Programs Boost Use of Vital Health Care

Uninsured and insured both receive help; benefits are temporary

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 beige curtain separates three people in a voting booth shown from below the knee to their feet Research Brief / Politics

Reimbursing Candidate Campaign Contributions Makes Elections More Competitive

Incumbents in France are reelected less often when all candidates can be repaid for personal outlays

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?

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