Is Student Debt Hindering Entrepreneurship?

March 7th, 2016 - Thelma Armendariz-Villarreal

Evidence suggests that a change in a household’s student debt from $0 to about $35,000 decreases entrepreneurship by three percentage points. More »

Putting a Price Tag on Nature: Contingent Valuation and Other Approaches

March 4th, 2016 - Laura Bergedieck

According to a recent study, the human brain works differently when evaluating nature than when defining a value for any other good. More »

Entrepreneurship: The Modern Day Crime-Stopper

March 3rd, 2016 - Rachel Gordon

A study finds that the growth of African-American-owned businesses in urban communities plays a role in decreasing the rate of youth violent crime. More »

Renting While Black: Revealed Preferences in the Sharing Economy

March 1st, 2016 - Kelli Pirtle

Evidence from a recent field experiment, based on data from Airbnb, demonstrates that racial discrimination persists on modern, online sharing marketplaces. Results indicate that guests with distinctively African-American names were found to be 16 percent less... More »

More Money, More Problems: The Impact of Tuition Increases on Undocumented Student Achievement

February 29th, 2016 - Mikia Manley

Research on the impact of a tuition increase for undocumented students in the City University of New York (CUNY) system shows that higher costs significantly reduce degree completion by increasing drop-out rates for newer students and reducing the number of cr... More »

The Economic Role of Refugees: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

February 25th, 2016 - Miriam Gonzales

The massive inflow of refugees in Europe has received unprecedented attention from the media, international agencies, and policymakers, and has generated an intense debate over adequate policy responses. However, refugees in Europe make up a fraction of the wo... More »

Rethinking the Use of Biometric Systems for Refugee Management

February 24th, 2016 - Songkhun Nillasithanukroh

The use of iris scans for refugee management is expanding, but the risks associated with this technology are often overlooked. More »

Hidden Costs of High-Deductible Plans

February 23rd, 2016 - Gabriel Ugarte Vera

A very large firm switched from completely subsidized insurance plans to high-deductible insurance plans, resulting in a reduction of 13 percent in total health spending. Evidence suggests that consumers are potentially reducing both wasteful and needed medica... More »

Opportunities and Challenges Associated with the Internet of Things

February 22nd, 2016 - Alice Tang

Although the Internet of Things has major potential for economic opportunities, it still faces problems in data privacy, security, and other areas that have yet to be overcome. More »

The Complicated Relationship between Public Sector Employment and Governance in Low-Income Countries

February 19th, 2016 - Ivonne Acevedo

Evidence suggests that public sector workers in low-income countries have a wage premium relative to their private sector counterparts, despite the fact that they have lower quality governance. Improving the design of public sector personnel policies may have ... More »

Citizenship: An Urban Asset

February 18th, 2016 - Sarah Guminski

Researchers at the Urban Institute find compelling economic benefits of naturalization for eligible immigrants and the cities in which they live. More »

Money Alone Can’t Buy Positive Education Outcomes in China

February 16th, 2016 - Shilin Liu

Compared to monetary resources, non-monetary resources, particularly parenting practices, are more consequential for children’s achievement in the Chinese context. More »

Research Analysis