Topic: Government

Male prisoners in a prison yard Research Brief / Politics

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

Monochrome photo of people standing in line for bread Research Brief / Banking

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

FDA building Feature / Health Care

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

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

Highspeed rail Research Brief / Housing

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

Yellow prescription bottles Research Brief / Health Care

Exploring the Relationship between Off-Label Prescriptions and Clinical Trials

A study looks at how changes in FDA labeling affect pediatric utilization of drugs

Illustration of a map Research Brief / Cultural History

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

Monochrome photo of FDR Research Brief / Economics

Keynes vs. FDR: Lessons from the Great Recession

Sebastian Edwards finds Keynes’ public take-down of Roosevelt’s gold policies still relevant today

Illustration of a capital city Research Brief / Government

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

Guillermo Moreno Research Brief / Economics

Citizens Are Not Fooled by Fake Statistics

What happened when the Argentine government lied about inflation numbers?

Bird's eye view of a suburb Research Brief / Housing

The Housing Meltdown Would Have Been Far Worse Without California’s Anti-Foreclosure Laws

Restraining lenders saved hundreds of billions in home value