Academic Capture
Tainted Philanthropy in Higher Education
Our institutions of higher education should apply appropriate ethical and academic standards when considering financial donations; otherwise, they risk promoting the private interests of...
Are the Findings in Academic Economic Journals to be Trusted?
A growing number of studies provide evidence that editors (and referees) of academic journals often publish only findings showing a significant effect or surprising...
Capitalisn’t in a New Episode on the Gig Economy: A Reading List
Companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash have brought the term "gig economy" into our lexicon. But what is the gig economy, really? In the...
A New Capitalisn't Episode: Did the Economists of the '60s and '70s Ruin the Economy?
Are economists to blame for our current state of affairs? That's the argument Binyamin Appelbaum makes in his book "The Economists' Hour." In this...
Can Google Mobilize Its Users to Lobby Elected Officials?
Google has an 87 percent market share in the search business and the potential to mobilize more voters than the Democratic primaries, according to...
The Epstein Report: How a Convicted Criminal Could Use MIT to Whitewash His Reputation
The only reason why a pedophile's donations did not violate any MIT policy is that MIT does not have any policy to prevent embarrassing...
Corporations and the Rise of the Chicago Law and Economics Movement
From its birth in 1946 onward, corporations made possible and crucially supported the rise of the Chicago law and economics movement. Aaron Director,...
The Rise of the Opioids: How Purdue Invented New Markets for OxyContin
Purdue's strategy was to market its opioids directly to patients via brochures, videos, advertisements, and the internet. It also provided information to doctors and...
Western Multinationals Can Improve Workers' Safety, If They Want to: The Case of Bangladesh
In 2013, one of the largest factories in Bangladesh collapsed, killing 1,134 workers. Many multinationals committed to improving safety standards. A new study shows...
Uber’s “Academic Research” Program: How to Use Famous Economists to Spread Corporate Narratives
Uber's employees co-authored academic papers with brand name scholars that were then used to back the company's PR and lobbying strategy. Published in respected...
