Topic: Behavioral Economics
When Surge Pricing Comes to the Supermarket
Charging more at peak times could reduce congestion and lift profits. Would customers revolt?
Testing 17 Theories on the Development of Complex Civilizations
Large-scale data project produces stark conclusion: military technology + agricultural productivity caused the takeoff
Amateurs Struggle To Incorporate Market Signals About Pricing into Their Trades
Disregarding data, novices often sail into strong winds
Proposed: Give Consumers on Amazon a Direct Line to Small Business Products
Third-party sellers would gain; consumers might pay more but increase control of products display
Why We Think Differently About Money Than About Probabilities
Learning gradually versus all at once and how we estimate value
Kids Who Moved from Public Housing More Likely to Vote as Adults
Demolition of Chicago projects dispersed thousands to other areas
Go Ahead, You Decide How Much Wealth Should Be Redistributed
Can modern decision theory, paired with a half-century-old thought experiment, help make a more just society?
CEOs Risk Alienating Customers with High-Profile Activism
Taking a stand on controversial issues can hurt sales, but the effect is brief
The Role of Chance Encounters in Silicon Valley Innovation
Cellphone signals and patent citations approximate a theory’s long-sought paper trail
A Different Way to Evaluate Private Equity Performance
An approach tailored to investor risk appetite and more comparable to stocks
College Completion and Your Genome (Don’t Get Too Excited)
It’s still early days in genetic research, though advances will aid study of educational attainment and, notably, disease
Lack of Urgency Can Undermine a Popular Behavioral Nudge
Encouraging pre-commitment to a future behavior helps people do hard things — but it can backfire
How Dollar Stores Contribute to Food Deserts
Expanding chains drive out independent grocers, reduce access to fresh produce
How Far Would You Go for an Ivy League Kid?
Study finds interest in screening embryos for education propensity, especially if everyone else is doing it
Societies With a Legacy of Herding: More Prone to Current Day Violence
A culture that valorized revenge among pre-industrial herders resonates today
The Unhappy Quest for a Happiness Index
Pushing aside GDP for a measure of human well-being turns out to be very, very difficult. Ask Dan Benjamin