National Bureau of Economic Research
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(Mis)Information, Immigration and Redistribution
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The base of the Statue of Liberty, which happens to be a gift from a European country to the United States, reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The ideas embodied in this phrase have been increasingly debated in recent years, not just…
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Default Risk Dangers: The Effect of Downgrades in Public Credit on the Economy
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Declining trust in a government’s fiscal health and a negative economic outlook often go hand in hand. It is generally accepted that the effects of a declining economy, such as an eroding tax base and an increasing need for public services, can strain a government’s budget. A new study, however,…
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The Impact of Machine Learning on Economics: What Machine Learning Can (and Cannot) Do for Economic Research
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Machine learning (ML) is most commonly understood as a set of computational techniques applied to big datasets in order to make granular predictions for businesses, from advertising to fraud detection to user recommendations. Yet another, perhaps less appreciated, application comes from academia, where social scientists have slowly but steadily begun…
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The Mixed Effects of Tasers in Civilian-Police Encounters
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In the early 2000s, police departments across the U.S. began deploying Tasers—devices that deliver an electric current to incapacitate targets—as an alternative use-of-force against civilians. The Taser was considered a non-lethal alternative to firearms and promised increased safety for officers in situations that normally require more physical contact. While outcomes…
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Do Industrial Robots Contribute to Unemployment and Lower Wages?
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Over the past few years, rapid advances in technology have posed greater threats to jobs, especially those vulnerable to automation. Recently, McKinsey published a report analyzing the technical feasibility of automation in several occupations and concluded that service, manufacturing, and construction industries are all at risk of automation. Yet, the…
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Does Foreign Aid Have an Effect on Economic Growth? New Research Adds to the Debate
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This piece, first published on June 15, 2016, is being republished as part of the Chicago Policy Review‘s 20th Anniversary Series. Please visit us here to learn more about the series from our Executive Editors. There is an ongoing debate about the impact of international aid on growth, particularly in developing countries. Jeffrey Sachs and William Easterly represent the two primary strains…
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Does Foreign Aid Have an Effect on Economic Growth? New Research Adds to the Debate
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There is an ongoing debate about the impact of international aid on growth, particularly in developing countries. Jeffrey Sachs and William Easterly represent the two primary strains of thought in this debate. Sachs argues that foreign aid constitutes an important instrument to reduce poverty and foster development, while Easterly suggests that foreign aid fails to reach…
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Wicked Smart: Massachusetts’s Efforts to Turn Around a Failing School District
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Just 30 miles north of Boston on the Merrimack River is the city of Lawrence, Massachusetts. This industrial metropolitan area is home to almost 80,000 people, with a median household income of $32,851 and a poverty rate of 29.2 percent. Almost 40 percent of residents are immigrants, coming predominantly from…
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Bullying in South Korea: A Long-Lasting Burden to Carry
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In their research, Miguel Sarzosa and Sergio Urzúa examine how cognitive and non-cognitive skills can influence the occurrence of bullying, and how these skills can exacerbate the effects of bullying on outcomes such as depression, school attainment, satisfaction, and health.
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Abortion and Access to Better Schools in Romania
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In their paper, Ofer Malamud, Cristian Pop-Eleches, and Miguel Urquiola examine—through the combined use of regression discontinuity and difference-in-difference techniques—whether there is a positive interaction between family and school environments in Romania.
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The Uneven Retreat from Marriage
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A study shows the ways in which demographic changes regarding marriage, divorce, and cohabitation in the past 50 years have fostered family inequality across socioeconomic groups, causing negative impacts for children.