Topic: Behavioral Economics

Illustration of a manga cartoon Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

What’s in Your Social Media Feed?

On anime sites, what one’s friends are watching is the most persuasive prompt to engage

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

Three images of man's profile Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

Advancing the Study of Using Future-Self Images to Alter Behavior

Successful projects suggest a more thorough cataloging of how “vividness” nudges can help us delay gratification

A graph illustration showing the equilibrium of labor supply and labor demand Primer / Minimum Wage

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

Street sign with Past, Present, Future and collage of bond certificates Research Brief / Bond Market

With Bonds, the Past Can Be Prologue

Patterns in corporate bond returns include abrupt short-term performance reversals and “momentum” waves that persist

Illustration map of Central Poland and surrounding countries Research Brief / Cultural History

Descendants of Forced Migrants Value Education More Highly

Post-World War II Poland provides a unique setting to study mobility and success

Downhill race with aerodynamic push cars Research Brief / Investing

Momentum Investing: It Works, But Why?

After a quarter century of sprawling study, it’s time to narrow the focus and settle on an explanation

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

Marijuana dispensary Feature / Taxes

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

Illustration of eyes looking at a computer screen Research Brief / Taxes

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

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 brain and a hand holding up a coin Research Brief / Behavioral Economics

Do People Donate Money to Signal Their Intelligence?

Research suggests such a connection when donations are publicized

Stock market ticker displays Feature / Stock Returns

New Appreciation for a Classic Stock Market Gauge

The relationship between short- and longer-term moving averages has strong predictive power for share price returns

People in line outside the Bank of China Research Brief / Cultural History

Culture Affects How People Save Money

Immigrants show saving tendencies that carry through several generations

Two people smiling Feature / Retirement Planning

Helping People Make Wise Decisions for Retirement Income

Nudges, long aimed at saving behavior, are needed for people converting a nest egg into income

Female driver looking back to the rear of her car Research Brief / Gender

Economics of Women-Driver Ride Hailing

Other safety measures are easier to implement, but research suggests how female driver pool could be increased