Category: General

A color photo of four catcti with a cactus blossom on the end at right. Research Brief / Taxes

A Simplified Tax Code and Post-Communist Growth

Study suggests flat tax systems boosted GDP in former Soviet republics and satellites

Book cover of American Default Book Review / Economics

A Shocking Tale of Sovereign Default and Private Contracts Nullified

Sebastian Edwards brings to life a widely forgotten chapter of U.S. history starring FDR, his no-name economist and the demise of the gold standard

Surgeon thoroughly washes his hands at a sink Research Brief / Health Care

A Scheduling Tool that Considers Employee Preferences

A model for staffing O.R.s incorporates the costs of worker dissatisfaction and idle time

Volunteers wearing gloves and carrying trash bags as they clean up the area Research Brief / Compensation

A Salaryman and a Wage Earner, Paid Equally, Walk Into a Bar (to Volunteer)

Which one walks out happier?

White tiles with arrows pointed right lined up on a blue background with one red tile that shoes the arrow moving out of the line. Research Brief / Competition

A Renter and Property Owner Meet on Airbnb: Will They Ditch the Site?

The risk for matching platforms is affected by levels of fees and what’s disclosed about buyer and seller

Research Brief / Banking

A Quiet Expansion of Deposit Insurance Could Disrupt U.S. Banking

Seen as a backstop to small- and midsized banks, the program, allowing insurance in multiples of $250,000, alters banking’s risk calculus

Personal perspective view of a female doctor talking with a patient Research Brief / Nudges

A Psychological Approach to Helping Doctors Do Better at Doing No Harm

Behavioral nudges reduced doctors’ overprescribing and overtesting of older patients

Several people look down at their phones while waiting outside at an airport passenger loading zone Research Brief / Pricing

A Proposal to Improve Surge Pricing

Reduce fares in adjacent areas to draw more drivers to where demand is high

Macro of silicon wafer semiconductor with neon color - integrated circuits to manufacture CPU and GPU. Research Brief / Supply Chain

A Proposal To Improve Supplier Reliability in Tech Manufacturing

Withholding renewal of a supply agreement can be more powerful than other carrots and sticks

Bright pink background with syringes lined up in diagonal rows Research Brief / Health Care

A Proposal to Even Out Flu Vaccine Supplies

A system of manufacturer rewards and penalties, consumer taxes and subsidies could aid vaccination rates

A senior woman walking down a corridor with the assistance of a walker. view from rear. Research Brief / Health Care

A Nudge to Reduce the Government Tab for Nursing Home Care

An upfront fee for taking Medicaid patients could shorten stays

A city electrical blackout from above at night Research Brief / Energy

A More Efficient Way to Help Utilities Share the Inconvenience of Power Outages

This model could enable power companies to lower the cost of peak electricity

Employee checks on industrial equipment in a plant Feature / Management

A Model Could Help Food Processors Operate More Efficiently

Managing production with the declining potency of a catalyst

Book Review / Happiness

A Method to Happiness: Tested in the Lab and in Life

Cassie Holmes’ book combines social science and personal history; jilted on the way to the altar

People with luggage standing under an awning waiting for rids next to an Uber sign. Research Brief / Ride-Sharing Services

A Matching Mechanism to Reduce Uber/Lyft Customer Wait, Improve Revenue

Queuing models aren’t simple but offer big potential service improvements

Sepia photo of four farmers Research Brief / Gender Gap

A History of Plough-Based Farming Leads to Fewer Girls

Modern-day gender ratios are linked to countries’ agricultural roots