All Insights Articles
Reinventing the Way We Work—Again
The pandemic changed where we work and how we work, how we think about the place of work in our lives and vice versa—all against a backdrop of rapid technological change, economic upheaval, and a reckoning with racism. We talked with Yale SOM's Heidi Brooks about how to have necessary conversations about a new experience of work.
Video: Dating, Marriage, Parenting, and the Gender Wage Gap
Women earn 79 cents for every dollar that men make. But look beyond that widely cited statistic, and you’ll find a complex story of causes, effects, and correlations. Prof. Mushfiq Mobarak surveys the literature on the subject and argues that, to close the gap, we need to address society’s differing expectations around who bears the burden of family and parenting responsibilities.
Horatio Alger Is a Hoax, But We Can Still Celebrate the American Dream
Horatio Alger, the 19th-century writer whose name became shorthand for self-improvement, is in the news because of Justice Clarence Thomas’s connection to the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. But Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld says that Alger’s story says more about mythmaking than it does about the American dream.
Can China Reverse Its Economic Slump?
Earlier this week, the Chinese central bank unexpectedly cut a key interest rate in an effort to reinvigorate a stalling economy. We asked Yale’s Stephen Roach about the outlook for China and the rest of the world.
Did ‘Lockdown Fatigue’ Diminish the Effectiveness of COVID-19 Restrictions?
COVID-19 restrictions on group gatherings and businesses stretched on for months. Did they continue to save lives? In a new study, Yale SOM’s Matthew Spiegel examines how the effectiveness of restrictions evolved over time.
Ratings Systems Amplify Racial Bias on Gig-Economy Platforms
A new Yale SOM study found that the five-star ratings on platforms like Uber and TaskRabbit can spread the effects of racial discrimination by displaying ratings from biased users to those who otherwise would not discriminate.
Bringing the Economist’s Tool Kit to the Policies that Shape Markets
Katja Seim, the Sharon Oster Professor of Economics and Management, investigates the complex forces behind the infrastructure of everyday life with an aim of enabling data-driven improvement to policy tools and making markets function better.
The Secret of the Barbie Movie’s Marketing Success
Barbie is a genuine phenomenon, reaching $1 billion in worldwide box office in only three weeks on the strength of legions of pink-clad moviegoers. We asked Yale SOM’s Zoe Chance, a former Mattel brand manager, about the movie’s marketing and message.
Did Student Loan Forbearance Push Distressed Borrowers Further into Debt?
In a new study, Yale SOM’s Heather Tookes and her co-authors find that after loan forebearance went into effect in March 2020, distressed borrowers’ credit scores jumped. That allowed them to take on more credit card and auto debt—and, eventually, led to higher rates of delinquencies.
The Critics of Bidenomics Are Being Proven Wrong
Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian write that much of the credit for the economic good news belongs to President Joe Biden and his transformative public investment programs.
