Culture & Society

In new research, Patrick Crawford and Vincent Geloso find that areas in Lower Canada with more newspaper competition were more likely to rebel in Quebec’s 1837 Rebellion. Irrespective of political leaning, newspapers in more competitive markets helped citizens to share grievances and coordinate their actions.

In new research, Cailtin K. Myers and Ezekiel Hooper find that birth rates in the United States have declined as a result of the introduction of the iPhone. They theorize that the smartphone is crowding out the market for attention, offering a device to fill users’ time that replaces forming in-person relationships that typically create children. 

In new research for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, David M. Primo uses campaign contribution data to show that professors at leading universities are more politically active than the average American and skew heavily to the left politically, raising concerns about the diversity of perspectives on college campuses.    

The OxyContin epidemic had large demographic effects on communities in the United States. In new research, Carolina Arteaga, Victoria Barone, and Stephen Claassen find that Purdue Pharma’s marketing strategy targeted specific areas, causing college-educated residents to flee and increasing fertility rates among the most affected populations.

The Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter strips independent agencies of removal protections that made regulatory policy predictable across administrations. In new research, Brian Feinstein and Daniel Hemel find that equity markets assign real value to precisely that kind of insulation.

Finbar Curtin and Matthew Burgess’ recent article analyzing the relationship between the climate and economy has been interpreted as a study proving that climate change’s impact on economic growth is weak. Garvin Jabusch argues that this interpretation is wrong. Rather, the article concludes that statistical estimates of this relationship are limited by data and future capital allocation should favor a ‘no-regrets’ approach anchored in observable cost curves and productive capacity.

New research by Hosein Maleki, Mahsa Kaviani, Simi Kedia, and Shay Pourvosoughi shows that women-owned firms are less likely to get a second chance after filing for bankruptcy and that the gap between male- and female-owned firm filings widens when courts are overloaded.

Matt Lucky reviews Jimmy Wales’ new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things that Last, now out at Penguin Press.

In new research, Ido Baum, Leszek Balcerowicz, Jakub Karnowski and Andrzej Rzońca assess how Poland achieved economic growth with a populist government. They argue that the economic success is misleading and Poland’s leading party passed harmful policies that affect the country’s long-term growth opportunities. 

In new research in collaboration with Color of Change, Dante Donati and Lena Song find that comments on social media posts help drive platform engagement for organizations. However, comment sections are often populated by a vocal minority, and adversarial comments from them come with reduced off-platform support for the original posters.