Christina LeBeau

Writer

About

Christina Le Beau is a longtime freelance journalist who has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Salon, BusinessWeek, American Demographics, Preservation and Crain’s Chicago Business. She’s from Rochester, New York, but currently lives and works on the road, traveling throughout North America in an Airstream with her family. Find her on Instagram.

Coworkers at a bar talking Research Brief / Gender Gap

All Along the Pipeline, Men Promote Men

At one bank, the cumulative effect of male bonding accounts for 39% of the gender pay gap

A man with a headlamp and safety helmet on Research Brief / Wealth Inequality

Americans Want to Help Poor People, but Only the Hard-Working Poor

Biases around race, nation-of-origin and disability are small compared to the preference for helping the diligent

An open daily planner Research Brief / Time Management

Not Now: Correcting Imbalance in One’s Schedule Takes Planning and Time

People across studies want to change their lives, but are more inclined to do that in the distant future

Illustration of a head with blinders Feature / Behavioral Decision Making

How People Gather Information — or Don’t — to Make Decisions

Personal beliefs, especially among the less educated, often outweigh actual data

Illustration of office buildings with a silhouette of a figure holding their arms out Research Brief / Taxes

Businesses Vastly Overestimate the Likelihood of Being Audited

Should tax-collecting agencies keep audit activity secret to discourage cheating?

Illustration of people surrounding a magnifying glass with varying dollar amounts above their heads Feature / Compensation

Pay Transparency: Will It Help or Hurt Workers?

Many assume salary transparency will benefit employees, but research suggests downsides, too

A classroom with students Research Brief / Gender Gap

Parents Who Favor Boys Raise Girls Who Score Lower in Math

A clue that parents prefer a son: They have more kids when their firstborn is a girl

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

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

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

Laptop with a calendar Research Brief / Time Management

You’ll Be Interrupted — Why Not Plan for It?

A team of researchers weighs contingent planning against traditional time management

Monochrome image of a church facade Research Brief / Ethics

In a Global Church, Even a Widely Publicized Scandal’s Impact is Decidedly Local

Revisiting research on Catholic clergy sex abuse: Pennsylvania can expect fewer churchgoers and a painful decline in charitable contributions

Illustration of characters with thought bubbles containing dollar signs Research Brief / Compensation

It’s OK if the Boss Earns More, but a Problem When Co-Workers Do

Study of a large corporation explores how salary comparisons affect employee behavior

Collage of women forming a larger image of a woman Research Brief / Cultural History

Using Ancestral Characteristics to Study Modern Economics

A database of pre-industrial sampling supports historical and ethnographic research