The Latest

Inverted image of a calculator Research Brief / Taxes

Boo! Does Merely Mentioning an Audit Increase Taxpayer Compliance?

Research undermines the notion that companies coldly calculate tax avoidance

A line of 13 members of a family lined up to the mother at Ellis Island Research Brief / Globalization

Big Families — and Overall Population Growth — Lead People to Emigrate

Europe’s Great Migration to North America, 1850-1920, offers lessons for today’s immigration patterns

Vending machine Research Brief / Uber Surge Pricing

Beyond Uber: When Surge Pricing Makes Business Sense

Research seeks to predict how time-based price discrimination might spread

Illustration of a guillotine Research Brief / Cultural History

Beyond Angry Mobs: Intellectuals in the French Revolution

History’s Encyclopédie subscribers are matched to grievances against the monarchy

Steve Carrell playing Michael Scott on "The Office." Research Brief / Gender

Being Passionate About Your Job Works … If You’re a Man

When being evaluated for ‘high potential’ programs, men are rewarded for showing emotion — women are penalized

Illustration of two men with one crossing his fingers behind his back Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

Being Biased against Friends to Appear Unbiased

If the boss is your friend, and compensation decisions are public, a bonus you’d get on merit might not be forthcoming

Illustration of a man weighing two balances Research Brief / Retirement Planning

Behind the Annuity Conundrum: The Belief They’re Unfair

Researchers find little commonality among haters of the difficult-to-sell retirement products, except when discussing fairness

Illustration of a house, cap, rings, car keys, baby crib Feature / Nudges

Behavioral Nudges Timed to Certain Days are Effective Motivator

Dates of milestones — major and minor — can spur us to action

Illustration of a man looking at a carrot while a magnet opens his head Research Brief / Nudges

Behavioral Economics: Are Nudges Cost-Effective?

A team of experts makes the financial case that governments should spend more on nudging

Illustration of a man in front of a computer covering his face while stressed Research Brief / Health Care

Behavioral Economics Could Increase Obamacare Enrollment and Stabilize Markets

Greater subsidies aren’t enough: Lowering the complexity of enrollment is needed to bring more and healthier people into the market

A pop-up that allows a user to turn off tracking on an app. Research Brief / Advertising

Barred From Stalking Us Across the Internet, Returns for Some Advertisers Plummet

Small businesses hit particularly hard when Apple made it easy to opt out of app tracking

Illustration of a bridge made out of gears with a red connecting section in the middle Research Brief / Banking

Banks, Freed to Operate Across State Lines, Helped Stabilize the Economy

Lenders financed expansion in some markets, offsetting problems in others

A cityscape at sunset overlaid with a grid of lighted network Research Brief / Banking

Banks Transmit Financial Shocks, Including from Natural Disasters

How a localized flood may result in fewer loans to a far-off community

Composite image of stock charts overlaid on an image of a laptop Research Brief / Investing

Banks Rent Out Their Balance Sheets — So Derivatives Cost More

Even before Dodd-Frank rules, the costs were significant

Bored teens at a movie theater Research Brief / Education

Awards as Incentives: Sometimes They Backfire

Seeking to improve school attendance, researchers learn how some students think

Illustration of two hot dog carts Research Brief / Pricing

Avoiding Direct Price Competition: Bundling and Unbundling

If one company bundles products, its competitors are always better off not bundling; the thing to avoid is a head-to-head competition wherein the only way to get an edge is by cutting prices