Economics
When Cash Isn’t an Option, Consumers Lose Out
Paper currency is associated with crime and tax avoidance, but low-income consumers often rely on it. New research from Yale SOM’s David Argente puts a figure on how much those consumers forfeit when governments ban cash payments.
Economic Competition in a Time of Crisis
What will the sudden economic shock mean for competition and antitrust policy? We asked Yale SOM’s Fiona Scott Morton, an economist who served in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, for her perspective.
Study: Pharmaceutical Ads Drive Prescriptions—And Save Us All Money
Yale SOM’s Michael Sinkinson found that fewer people get life-savings statins during primary season, when pharmaceutical ads are displaced by political ads.
Study Suggests That Local Chinese Officials Manipulate GDP
A study by Yale SOM’s Frank Zhang suggests that local Chinese governments often push through projects without long-term economic value, or fabricate numbers outright, in order to meet GDP targets.
New Study Shows that Trust Can Last
A new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Florian Ederer explores how the trust we place in one another is affected by our ability to communicate and by the passage of time.
Firms Sacrifice Worker Safety When Demand Is High
Using data from the U.S. mining industry, Yale SOM’s Kerwin Charles and his co-authors investigated the relationship between higher demand and safety, and found that increased investment in safety measures is overwhelmed by the incentive to increase production while prices are high, leaving workers less safe overall.
What’s the Right Price?
A new study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Kevin Williams suggests that the zone pricing employed by home improvement chains benefits some consumers at the expense of others—and costs one of the two giants potential profits.
Can Antitrust Enforcement Protect Digital Consumers?
More and more of our economic and social lives are being conducted through digital channels. Economist Fiona Scott Morton talks about how effective antitrust regulation and enforcement can ensure that consumers benefit from the next killer app.
Despite Job Losses, U.S. Benefitted from Surge of Trade with China
When Chinese imports sharply rose from 2000 to 2007, American manufacturing jobs suffered, but other sectors benefitted, leading to a net increase in U.S. welfare.
Why ‘Breaking Up’ Big Tech Probably Won’t Work
Instead, argues Yale SOM’s Fiona Scott Morton, the government should exercise its regulatory powers to promote competition.
Gig Workers Value their Flexibility... a Lot
Using extensive data on Uber drivers, Yale SOM’s Judith Chevalier and her co-authors examined their driving patterns to understand the economic value of flexible scheduling. They found that rideshare drivers would have to earn as much as double to accept less-flexible arrangements.
