Research
Blockchain Technology Can Help Consumers Tip Farmers—But Should It?
Apps that track food supply chains could make it easier for customers to tip the farmer who produced their coffee or cocoa. But a new paper suggests that this well-intended feature might reduce farmers’ overall income.
Building Bridges Can Boost Income for the Rural Poor
Yale SOM’s Kevin Donovan and Wyatt Brooks of Arizona State University found that building footbridges in rural communities allows residents to access work in nearby towns, with benefits for themselves and their neighbors.
Black and Latinx Conservatives ‘Upshift’ Competence to White Audiences
A new study by Yale SOM’s Cydney Dupree finds that when politically conservative Black and Latinx Americans speak in mostly White settings, they are more likely than their liberal counterparts to adopt language associated with power, status, and ability.
To Stop a Pandemic in Its Tracks, Coordinate across Borders
New research co-authored by Yale SOM’s Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham shows that a proactive approach, in which jurisdictions respond to infections in neighboring areas, can dramatically lower spread in the early stages of an epidemic.
Send Vaccines Where People Want Them: Developing Nations
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is significantly higher in low- and middle-income countries than wealthy ones. Prioritizing those countries for vaccine distribution could help save more lives and keep variants at bay.
Could Be Worse: When You See Others Losing More, You’re More Likely to Take Risks
What induces people to take greater risks in certain situations—such as sitting at the blackjack table in a glitzy casino? A new study from Yale SOM’s Nathan Novemsky and Guy Voiche reveals that we experience losses as less painful when we see examples of bigger losses.
Can ‘Sin Taxes’ Do a Better Job?
A new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Katja Seim examines how successful the uniform liquor tax in Pennsylvania is at generating revenue and discourage drinking, and concludes that a uniform tax leads to higher prices on products bought disproportionately in high-income areas when compared to a more variable approach, effectively subsidizing liquor consumption in low-income areas.
Did COVID-19 Restrictions on Restaurants and Bars Save Lives?
COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, bars, gyms and salons were among the most controversial and the last to be lifted. A new study looks at whether closures, capacity restrictions, and other limits on these businesses actually lowered the death rate.
Video: Identifying with a Team Helps Prevent Stress and Burnout among Healthcare Workers
A Yale study conducted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic found that feeling like part of a team reduced reported stress and burnout—an insight with implications for how any kind of organization can weather a crisis.
Century-Old Harvard Records Show How Social Connections Help the Elite
A study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Seth Zimmerman, drawing on a trove of archival student records, suggests that membership in exclusive clubs propelled students from the top prep schools to higher incomes, while good grades did little to lift other students into the top-earning tier.
