Quantitative Easing Didn't Ease Housing Crisis for the Neediest

A new study by Marco Di Maggio and colleagues takes a deep dive into the efficacy of the Fed's quantitative easing strategy to understand how the various rounds of QE affected “the real economy.”

'Be Careless with That!' Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions

Contrary to the notion that consumers highly value and care for their possessions, this research by Silvia Bellezza, Joshua M. Ackerman, and Francesca Gino demonstrates that consumers may become careless toward owned products when they know there are appealing upgrades coming. Such carelessness is driven by consumers' strong desire to justify decisions. The findings suggest opportunities for marketers and designers because planned obsolescence might benefit upgrade-minded consumers by making it easier for them to damage or detect functional flaws in owned products.

October 25, 2016

The challenge of explaining pivots to investors ... What's an innovation worth? ... How a manager's ethnic culture affects their communications with investors.

Bernie Madoff Explains Himself

Bernie Madoff Explains Himself

The Spectacular Fall and Fix of Healthcare.gov

The Spectacular Fall and Fix of Healthcare.gov

Global Talent Flows

Global migration patterns have become increasingly asymmetric and skewed along several dimensions, especially as skilled migration has become a greater force globally. This paper by William R. Kerr and colleagues,discusses the causes and consequences of high-skilled migration and the particular role of agglomeration/cluster economies.

Self-Employment Dynamics and the Returns to Entrepreneurship

Why do workers turn to entrepreneurship when many entrepreneurs appear to earn less than what they could earn in paid employment? Written by Eleanor W. Dillon and Christopher T. Stanton, this is the first paper to characterize how the value of resolving uncertainty about entrepreneurial earnings varies over the lifecycle after adjusting for tax differences between entrepreneurs and paid workers.

A Welfarist Role for Nonwelfarist Rules: An Example with Envy

Matthew Weinzierl proposes an argument for why policymakers should, as research has repeatedly shown most people do, consider multiple, often mutually contradictory principles when judging economic policy.

Break the Rules of How Business is Done

Making just small changes to how you do business inside and outside the company can help you attract bright employees and increase innovation, argues Julia B. Austin.

October 11, 2016

Creating the launch strategy for "Hamilton" ... Companies with committed middle managers perform better ... The earnings gap between being self-employed and working for someone else.

Why White-Collar Criminals Commit Their Crimes

Eugene Soltes spent seven years interviewing nearly 50 convicted corporate felons, including Bernard Madoff, Allen Stanford, and Dennis Kozlowski. Soltes shares what he learned in his new book, "Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal."

Sovereign Debt Portfolios, Bond Risks, and the Credibility of Monetary Policy

This paper by Wenxin Du, Carolin E. Pflueger, and Jesse Schreger examines and explains the relation between sovereign debt portfolios and government bond risks across countries.

The Munich Oktoberfest: From Local Tradition to Global Capitalism

The Munich Oktoberfest: From Local Tradition to Global Capitalism

Can the US Economy Regain the Growth and Prosperity of the Past?

There are widely contrasting visions for the future of the US economy, observes James Heskett. One sees a digital reinvention of markets that creates jobs and boosts prosperity for all. The other predicts modest gains that fall far short of past performance. What do YOU think?

Why Don't More People Get Flu Shots at Work?

The frontline battle station in the just-started influenza season is the workplace flu vaccine clinic. The problem: fewer than half of employees take advantage of them. John Beshears discusses why location makes a difference.

The Skills Gap and the Near-Far Problem in Executive Education and Leadership Development

Das Narayandas and Mihnea Moldoveanu argue that executive education programs are not equipping managers with skills needed to succeed in "volatile, uncertain, ambiguous, and complex business landscape."