Topic: Government
The Housing Meltdown Would Have Been Far Worse Without California’s Anti-Foreclosure Laws
Restraining lenders saved hundreds of billions in home value
Citizens Are Not Fooled by Fake Statistics
What happened when the Argentine government lied about inflation numbers?
How the Seemingly Rapid Advance of Democracy Goes Astray
Using voting records from a unique transition in the 19th-century Caribbean, Christian Dippel examines the embrace of self-interest by new legislators
Keynes vs. FDR: Lessons from the Great Recession
Sebastian Edwards finds Keynes’ public take-down of Roosevelt’s gold policies still relevant today
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
Exploring the Relationship between Off-Label Prescriptions and Clinical Trials
A study looks at how changes in FDA labeling affect pediatric utilization of drugs
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
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
A Tool to Make FDA Drug Approval Practices Transparent
Researchers aim to help the agency, drug companies and patients better understand the complex authorization process
What Makes a True Financial Crisis?
Data back to 1870 show similarities in the worst banking system shocks — focusing on loose lending before a meltdown
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
A ‘Safer’ Treasury Bond
The government’s floating rate notes feature an added measure of security: higher interest earnings in times of rising rates
Municipal Pension Crisis Made Worse by Democrats in Close Elections
Sixty years of data suggest retirement obligations rise after Democrats scrape into office
Modern Monetary Theory: Fiasco in Latin America, Option in U.S.?
The populist model, embraced by some on the American left, resembles policy that helped torpedo some smaller economies
Businesses Vastly Overestimate the Likelihood of Being Audited
Should tax-collecting agencies keep audit activity secret to discourage cheating?
The Dollar: That Other Trade Problem
A strong currency makes U.S. exports harder to sell, even outside of China