Area: Economics

An exterior night shot of a Dollar General store. Research Brief / Retail

How Dollar Stores Contribute to Food Deserts

Expanding chains drive out independent grocers, reduce access to fresh produce

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

Empty Times Square in New York in blue (left side); "Quarantine Overkill" sign held by a woman at a rally in red (right) Research Brief / COVID-19

How Clinton and Trump Voters Behave in — and Spread — a Pandemic

Estimates are based on smartphone data and precinct-level 2016 vote results

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

Silhouette of biker near a power plant with smoke stack Research Brief / Sustainability

Household Energy Conservation: Appeal to Cost Savings or Environmental and Health Impacts?

Money-saving messages lose impact over time, while worry about dangerous pollution helps consumers show discipline

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

A gray map of France. Research Brief / Cultural History

Historical Case for Immigrants Sending Home More Than Money

France’s lower fertility rates spread to regions that sent the most emigrants to live there

Two male workers walking in storage room Feature / Unemployment

Government Coverage of Payrolls Could Cost Less than Jobless Benefits

Analysis also suggests a more rapid economic recovery by keeping workers and employers allied

Illustration of German rebels Research Brief / Cultural History

German Rebels Who Helped Lincoln Win the Civil War: A Natural Experiment in Leadership

Leaders of a failed 1848 revolt are followed to towns across the U.S.

Two students using a computer Research Brief / Education

Gender Gaps in School Performance

Socioeconomic factors magnify the boy-girl divide and can explain cross-race differences

Male wearing a suit facing away from the camera Feature / Employment

Entering the Job Market in Recession: The Prognosis Worsens

New research suggests increased risk of illness and death in middle age, on top of longer-lasting income penalty

Nurses washing their hands outdoors while wearing face masks Research Brief / COVID-19

Employees Work at Multiple Nursing Homes and Spread COVID-19

Smartphone GPS tracks staffers between facilities

An unseen American politician walking on their stage at a rally Research Brief / COVID-19

Economic and Ideological Predictors of the Unique U.S. COVID-19 Failure

Examining local-level plans and behavior to uncover drivers of failed compliance with expert advice

Texas state line sign next to historic Route 66 near the town of Texola, Oklahoma. Research Brief / Minimum Wage

Do Workers Cross State Lines for Higher Minimum Wages?

States that raise rates curtail out-migration but do not attract more outsiders

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

Male prisoners in a prison yard Research Brief / Politics

Do Private Prisons Lead to Higher Incarceration Rates?

Researchers take on the difficult job of isolating for-profit prisons from a host of other factors