Economics
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- 29 Oct 2018
- Research & Ideas
Hunting for a Hot Job in High Tech? Try 'Digitization Economist'
Amazon has more economists on staff than any university economics department, and technology firms are snapping them up the minute they graduate, says Michael Luca. Why? Call it the economics of digitization. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 27 Sep 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
UK Competitiveness after Brexit
This paper discusses the UK’s economic performance and policy approach in the run-up to the June 2016 Brexit referendum, analyzes the impact of European Union membership and loss of membership on UK competitiveness, and sets forth a new strategic agenda to enhance UK competitiveness in the post-Brexit era.
- 20 Sep 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
Did Entrepreneur Ernesto Tornquist Help or Hurt Argentina?
Geoffrey Jones examines the career of Ernesto Tornquist, a cosmopolitan financier considered to be the most significant entrepreneur in Argentina at the end of the 19th century. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 15 Aug 2018
- Book
Why Entrepreneurs Must Focus on Building Trust
Legal and social institutions that support entrepreneurs often aren't well established in developing countries. Tarun Khanna's new book explains how businesses can make up for that by building trust. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 07 Aug 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Gifts of the Immigrants, Woes of the Natives: Lessons from the Age of Mass Migration
Investigating the economic and political effects of immigration across US cities between 1910 and 1930, this paper finds that political opposition to immigration can arise even when immigrants bring widespread economic benefits. The paper provides evidence that cultural differences between immigrants and natives were responsible, at least in part, for natives’ anti-immigration reactions.
- 07 Aug 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Economic Integration and Democracy: An Empirical Investigation
Economic integration reduces or eliminates trade barriers and coordinates monetary and fiscal policies. This study suggests that demand for democracy increases with economic integration due to the presence of a learning and cultural transmission channel, so less democratic countries learn from the institutions of their (more) democratic partners.
- 01 Aug 2018
- What Do You Think?
Are Free Trade and Free Markets Quaint Ideas From the Past?
SUMMING UP: Free trade and free markets are great concepts but are often corrupted by politics, globalization, and the relative power of consumers and workers, our readers suggest. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Jun 2018
- Research & Ideas
In America, Immigrants Really Do Get the Job Done
Far from being a drain on the US economy, William Kerr’s research finds immigrants are a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 20 Jun 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Show or Tell? Improving Agent Decision Making in a Tanzanian Mobile Money Field Experiment
Mobile money is popular in developing economies but many agents do not maintain proper inventory levels. This paper, based on a study of 4,771 agents in Tanzania, shows how training and ongoing guidance improve their inventory management. Agents who get in-person training and explicit inventory recommendations tend to stock out less.
- 18 Jun 2018
- Research & Ideas
Warning: Scary Warning Labels Work!
If you want to convince consumers to stay away from unhealthy diet choices, don't be subtle about possible consequences, says Leslie John. These graphically graphic warning labels seem to do the trick. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 May 2018
- What Do You Think?
Should Intellectual Property be Protected in International Trade?
SUMMING UP To do business in China, American firms often lose some of their intellectual property. James Heskett's readers think that price is too high. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 12 Apr 2018
- Op-Ed
Op-Ed: The Trouble with Tariffs
The world's economies are interconnected by globalization, which makes threats of tariff wars doubly dangerous, says Willy Shih. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 02 Mar 2018
- Op-Ed
Op-Ed: Trump’s Tariffs Could Harm Allies as Much as Opponents
President Trump's duties on steel and aluminum could produce immediate political gain but long-term economic pain for some American industries and global allies, says Dante Roscini. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 01 Mar 2018
- What Do You Think?
Two Decades Later, is the 'New Economy' Finally Here?
SUMMING UP Have recent advances in technology such as artificial intelligence ushered in (finally) the "new economy?" Not so fast, answer James Heskett's readers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 23 Feb 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Trade Creditors' Information Advantage
Trade credit represents about a quarter of the liabilities of US firms. There are several theories explaining this fact. This study reexamines whether suppliers hold private information about their trade partners, by analyzing their behavior in bankruptcy.
- 22 Feb 2018
- Book
The New History of American Capitalism
Historians are taking a new look at capitalism in light of its adoption in most of the developed world. From the edited volume American Capitalism: New Histories, by Sven Beckert and Christine Desan, the authors delve into the evolution of these new historic views. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 19 Feb 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
The Supply Chain Economy: A New Framework for Understanding Innovation and Services
This study shows that a large and dynamic supply chain economy plays a crucial role in innovation and in the creation of well-paid jobs. Traded service suppliers are particularly important. Policies that help suppliers access skilled labor, buyers, and capital could be beneficial for fostering innovation and economic growth.
- 16 Feb 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
A New Categorization of the US Economy: The Role of Supply Chain Industries in Innovation and Economic Performance
This paper provides a novel industry categorization that quantifies the supply chain economy in the United States. Suppliers of goods, and particularly services, to business and government are a distinct and large sector, and play an important role in national innovation and economic performance.
- 30 Jan 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Credit Supply Shocks, Network Effects, and the Real Economy
Using data for Spain between 2003 and 2013, this study examines firms’ responses to credit supply shocks during times of boom (expansion) and bust (financial crisis and recession). Results indicate that propagation of these shocks through the Spanish production network doubles the magnitude of the real effects typically estimated in the literature. This study also shows how such effects vary greatly during booms and busts.
Design Rules, Volume 2: How Technology Shapes Organizations: Chapter 5 Complementarity
Even as economics has theories about what assets and activities should be grouped together under common ownership and unified governance, in practice it sometimes makes sense to distribute complementary assets, skills, and activities across separate organizations. This paper investigates when and how this happens.