Area: Economics

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

Man in shadow pulling a line of grocery carts Research Brief / Minimum Wage

‘Fight for 15’ Debate: What Happens after a Big Boost in Minimum Wage?

Modest loss of jobs followed 1966 law, but millions won substantial raises

Research Brief / International Trade

How Companies in Big Cities Out-Export Those in Smaller Ones

Measure of export intensity raises questions about trade policy and housing restrictions

A door left ajar revealing a well-lit furnished living room Research Question / Economy

Sharing Economy Platforms: Who Gets the Value Created?

Airbnb hosts seem to prosper more than Uber drivers

Lettered wooden pieces arranged to spell the words "stock" and "bond". The two words share a single "O" piece. Research Brief / Corporate Investment

How Bond and Stock Prices Combine to Influence Corporate Investment

Equity volatility can encourage — or dampen — investment, depending on a firm’s bond spread

Various fast food restaurant signs along a road Research Brief / Minimum Wage

A $15 Minimum Wage May Have (Partially) Arrived, But Who Pays?

Study of L.A.-area restaurants gauges effect on owners, customers, landlords

Dimly lit empty manufacturing facility Research Brief / Recession

Recession Recoveries Take Longer as Manufacturing Fades

Should stimulus be targeted toward displaced workers, rather than across the economy?

Research Brief / Debt

Medical Debt in Collection Estimated at $140 Billion

Poorer residents of states refusing to expand Medicaid hit hardest

A bubble refracts light and the image of a window Research Brief / Markets

Market Bubbles Aren’t Entirely Irrational Exuberance

A model examines the relationships between innovation, speculation and market values

A person sits in a wicker chair looking a white wall covered in multicolored sticky notes Research Brief / Startups

On Kickstarter, Beware of ‘Feature Fatigue’

Backers like to offer suggestions to a not-quite-finished product

A cartoon image of someone being handed money from several different hands Research Brief / Startups

State Tax Credits for Angel Investors Backfire

Good ideas may be scarce, capital to fund them is not

A portrait of King Charles II of Spain. The image depicts the king's Habsburg Jaw. Research Brief / Leadership

Leadership Matters: Countries Suffered Under Poor Quality Monarchs

Measuring inbreeding allows study to isolate rulers from circumstances