Research

Call for Papers: Should Corporations Have a Social Purpose?

The Stigler Center is launching its fourth Political Economy of Finance conference and seeking papers on topics related to corporate social responsibility,...

How Were the PPP’s $660 Billion for Small and Medium Firms Allocated?

A new study suggests that the Payroll Protection Program's funds were primarily allocated based on 2019’s estimated payroll, which is how the...

Paid to Show the Drug Works: Why “Blind” Clinical Trials for New Drugs are Far Less Blind Than They Should Be

New research shows that physicians in industry-sponsored trials are more captured by pharmaceutical companies than physicians in unsponsored ones.

How Political Conflict Shapes Macroeconomics: Alberto Alesina’s Intellectual Legacy

One of the most respected economists of his generation, Harvard professor Alberto Alesina suddenly died at 63. His friend and colleague Guido...

We Need More Respectful and Inclusive Experiments in Development Economics: A Proposal

After many years of field research in Uganda, three economists outline how to prevent a powerful research tool such as randomized...

When and How the US Should Reopen Is a Matter of Politics, Trust in Institutions and Media, Survey Says

A new survey from the Rustandy Center and the Poverty Lab at the University of Chicago finds that political party affiliation and...

Why Social Distancing Measures Seem Less Effective in the US

Guidelines assume that the less people move around, the less likely they are to be in contact. However, phone location data show...

After the Lockdown: Italian Consumers Are Cautious About Returning to Normal

The effects of reopening commercial and recreational activities depend not only on legislative provisions but also on the propensity of consumers to...

How Are Americans Coping With the Covid-19 Crisis? 7 Key Findings From a Household Survey

New research from the Rustandy Center and the Poverty Lab at the University of Chicago finds that lower-income Americans, especially women,...

How to Restart the Economy and Save Lives: Simulations on Northern Italy

Italian officials have to choose the optimal strategy to end the lockdown. A policy that sends all the active population back to...

Latest news

Why Have Uninsured Depositors Become De Facto Insured?

Due to a change in how the FDIC resolves failed banks, uninsured deposits have become de facto insured. Not only is this dangerous for risk in the banking system, it is not what Congress intends the FDIC to do, writes Michael Ohlrogge.

Merger Law Reaches Acquirer Incentives and Private Equity Strategies

Steven C. Salop argues that Section 7 of the Clayton Act prohibits mergers in which the acquiring firm’s unilateral incentives and business strategy are likely to lessen market competition.

Tim Wu Responds to Letter by Former Agency Chief Economists

Former special assistant to the president for technology and competition policy Tim Wu responds to the November 27 letter signed by former chief economists at the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department Antitrust Division calling for a separation of the legal and economic analysis in the draft Merger Guidelines.

Can the Public Moderate Social Media?

ProMarket student editor Surya Gowda reviews the arguments made by Paul Gowder in his new book, The Networked Leviathan: For Democratic Platforms.

Uninhibited Campaign Donations Risks Creating Oligarchy

In new research, Valentino Larcinese and Alberto Parmigiani find that the 1986 Reagan tax cuts led to greater campaign spending from wealthy individuals, who benefited the most from this policy. The authors argue that a very permissive system of political finance, combined with the erosion of tax progressivity, created the conditions for the mutual reinforcement of economic and political disparities. The result was an inequality spiral hardly compatible with democratic ideals.

Did the Meme Stock Revolution Actually Change Anything?

Many financial commentators thought that the surge of retail investors participating in the stock market, the most notable of whom boosted “meme stocks” like GameStop, would democratize corporate governance and improve prosocial firm behavior, including the promotion of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. In new research, Dhruv Aggarwal, Albert H. Choi, and Yoon-Ho Alex Lee find evidence that the exact opposite took place.

The Kroger-Albertsons Merger Will Not Help Grocery Competition

Kroger and Albertsons say they need to merge to compete with Walmart. Claire Kelloway argues that what they really want is Walmart’s monopsony power, and permitting mergers on these grounds will only harm suppliers, workers, and consumers.