Area: Economics
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
Government Coverage of Payrolls Could Cost Less than Jobless Benefits
Analysis also suggests a more rapid economic recovery by keeping workers and employers allied
Patience Is a Virtue — Up to a Certain Point
The happiest people are moderately patient, not into extreme delayed gratification
Political and Charitable Giving: One Rises, the Other Falls
In an election year, that’s bad news for organizations like the American Red Cross
All Along the Pipeline, Men Promote Men
At one bank, the cumulative effect of male bonding accounts for 39% of the gender pay gap
Americans Want to Help Poor People, but Only the Hard-Working Poor
Biases around race, nation-of-origin and disability are small compared to the preference for helping the diligent
Gender Gaps in School Performance
Socioeconomic factors magnify the boy-girl divide and can explain cross-race differences
Women Are Likelier to Drop Out after Early Political Loss
But the “persistence gap” in seeking elective office narrows with experience
How People Gather Information — or Don’t — to Make Decisions
Personal beliefs, especially among the less educated, often outweigh actual data
Businesses Vastly Overestimate the Likelihood of Being Audited
Should tax-collecting agencies keep audit activity secret to discourage cheating?
Modern Monetary Theory: Fiasco in Latin America, Option in U.S.?
The populist model, embraced by some on the American left, resembles policy that helped torpedo some smaller economies
Narrowing a Theory on Why Judges Get Tough before Elections
They do, but only when facing a competitive election contest
Pay Transparency: Will It Help or Hurt Workers?
Many assume salary transparency will benefit employees, but research suggests downsides, too
Municipal Pension Crisis Made Worse by Democrats in Close Elections
Sixty years of data suggest retirement obligations rise after Democrats scrape into office
An Early Episode of How Corporate Profits Shaped Labor Markets
Caribbean plantation owners, faced with slavery’s end, enacted legal barriers to employment elsewhere
Parents Who Favor Boys Raise Girls Who Score Lower in Math
A clue that parents prefer a son: They have more kids when their firstborn is a girl