Finance & Economy
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Want to Spark Charity? Try Appealing to Both the Head and the Heart
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Prevailing wisdom dictates that emotion – and not reason – motivates people to give money toward important social causes. But a recent study by Matthew Lindauer and colleagues calls this into question. The study finds that rational appeals in the form of philosophical arguments are as effective as emotional appeals…
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The Long-Term Impact of Anti-Poverty Policies
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Since the enactment of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, the federal government of the United States has taken a hands-on approach to alleviating poverty. From the minimum wage to food stamps, existing federal policies provide low-income families numerous incentives with varying results. In a groundbreaking new study, David Neumark,…
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Fentanyl’s Rise on Darknet Markets (and How to Stop It)
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Over the past decade, opioid-related overdose has become the leading cause of death for American adults under age 50. During the same period, opioid deaths caused by synthetic narcotics increased 13-fold, and by 2017 they accounted for 60% of all opioid-related deaths. One drug compound dominates this category: fentanyl. Fentanyl’s…
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The Link Between Income and Xenophobia
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According to the World Bank (2019), close to half the world’s population lives in countries where development goals are hindered by conflict and violence. The UNHCR (2019) claims that by the end of 2018, 70.8 million people had been forcibly displaced from their homes, of whom at least 25.9 million…
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Predicting Natural Resource Violence
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Between 1949 and 2009, at least 40 percent of intrastate conflicts were linked to natural resources, according to estimates in a UN report. A growing body of research explores these links to try to explain variation across factors like time, geography, and resource type. One puzzle involves the question of…
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What Does Brexit Mean for Africa?
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On June 23, 2016, the British people voted in a referendum to withdraw from the European Union — a historic move that is still being processed today. “Brexit” not only impacts the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union, but also the rest of the world’s trade agreements with Britain.…
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The Economics of Begging
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In cities around the globe, people can be found street-side asking for money. While there are some who chose to perform or sell small goods, others ask for cash without offering anything of value in return. These individuals, known as panhandlers, face harsh public scrutiny for begging, rather than working,…
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A Call to Simplify and Broaden Expungement Laws
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Formerly incarcerated individuals are often released only to find social and economic barriers harsher than the penalty itself. The internet age makes this problem even worse given the ease of accessing criminal records. Recognizing these barriers, most jurisdictions have enacted laws that permit individuals who show good behavior to obtain…
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Does Homeownership Make Workers More Resilient After Economic Shocks?
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During the Great Recession, workers around the globe unexpectedly lost their jobs due to large-scale layoffs and firm bankruptcies. The factors that led to their loss of employment were often unrelated to the individual. However, what happened afterward — whether they found new employment, what wage they accepted if they…
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What the U.S. Can Learn from the Success of China’s Special Economic Zones
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Developed countries are struggling to tackle growing geographic inequality, a phenomenon fueling populism and discontent at the polls in Europe and the United States. In the face of economic change, large, globally connected cities have thrived, while many former industrial hubs have shrunk. Governments are now looking for ways to…
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Enterprise Zones and the Fight to Stop Economic Decline
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The issue of regional inequality is endemic to modern developed economies. While some regions experience growing populations and economic innovation, others are subject to decline. Even within specific high-growth metropolitan areas, there are neighborhoods that do not share the growth. Enterprise zone (EZ) programs are policy interventions that aim to…