Area: Economics
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
When Manufacturers Commence Exporting, They Become More Efficient
Looking at costs, in a sample of 5,000 plants in Chile, remarkable productivity gains occur
Culture Affects How People Save Money
Immigrants show saving tendencies that carry through several generations
Do People Donate Money to Signal Their Intelligence?
Research suggests such a connection when donations are publicized
Shaming of Tax Delinquents Works
34,334 letters were sent to test how sensitive those owing back taxes are to neighbors’ knowledge of the debts
Setting the Tax Rate on Legal Marijuana: Consumption, State Revenue and the Black Market
Taxes not high enough? An examination of Washington’s experience even suggests state ownership of pot stores might boost the public coffers
Descendants of Forced Migrants Value Education More Highly
Post-World War II Poland provides a unique setting to study mobility and success
Impact of High-Speed Rail: Surprising Data on Real Estate Prices
In Japan, speedier commutes let workers live farther from jobs, taking some pressure off high-priced housing markets
Through the Minimum Wage Looking Glass: Economic Consensus Unrealized
Researchers struggle with faulty study designs, flyspecking each other’s work, re-arguing decades of debate about jobs and income
In Some Places, Fertility Rates Declined Before the Industrial Revolution
Using parish records, researchers examine fundamental changes in society following the French Revolution
In a Global Church, Even a Widely Publicized Scandal’s Impact is Decidedly Local
Revisiting research on Catholic clergy sex abuse: Pennsylvania can expect fewer churchgoers and a painful decline in charitable contributions
It’s OK if the Boss Earns More, but a Problem When Co-Workers Do
Study of a large corporation explores how salary comparisons affect employee behavior
Why Can’t We All Get Along? On Some Things, We Do
The narrative of a growing cultural divide, while partly true, conceals a more nuanced picture
Using Ancestral Characteristics to Study Modern Economics
A database of pre-industrial sampling supports historical and ethnographic research
How Local Governance Came to England’s Economy
Nico Voigtländer found that to combat arbitrary taxes and corruption, merchants persuaded the king to cede control
Keynes vs. FDR: Lessons from the Great Recession
Sebastian Edwards finds Keynes’ public take-down of Roosevelt’s gold policies still relevant today