Harvard economist Claudia Goldin helped WNBA players win a nearly 400% raise. Starting this season, players’ average salary will top $580,000.

Abstract. This paper estimates that the macroeconomic damages from climate change are an order of magnitude larger than previously thought. Exploiting natu

Abstract. We develop a model that integrates modern theories of labor market flows with nominal wage rigidities to study the consequences of inflation on t

Abstract. This paper studies the effects of automation in a task-based economy in which some jobs pay workers rents—wages above their outside option. We sh

Abstract. We introduce and validate a novel approach to identifying good managers. In a pre-registered lab experiment, we causally identify managerial cont

Abstract. Does information about the long-run financial costs of reduced labor supply increase mothers’ working hours? We document descriptively that long-

Abstract. We show that intergenerational mobility changed rapidly by race and class in recent decades in the U.S. and study the causal mechanisms underlyin

Abstract. We construct the first annual market rent and home sales price series for American cities over the twentieth century using 2.7 million newspaper

Abstract. In this article, we establish a causal connection between two of the most salient social developments in the United States over the past decades:

Abstract. This article studies the returns to enrolling in U.S. public universities by comparing the long-term outcomes of barely admitted versus barely re

Abstract. A common concern surrounding minimum wage policies is their impact on independent businesses, which are often feared to be less able to bear or p

Abstract. We use novel surveys of firms and workers, linked to administrative employer-employee data, to study the prevalence and importance of individual

Abstract. This paper uses newly collected data on the allocation of dowry to examine its role in resolving intergenerational frictions around migration in

Abstract. We use anonymized admissions data from several colleges linked to income tax records and SAT and ACT test scores to study the determinants and ca

Abstract. Concerns about excessive mobile phone use among youth are mounting. We present estimates of behavioral and contextual peer effects, along with co

The official journal of the President and Fellows of Harvard University. The oldest professional journal of economics in the English language, it covers all aspects of the field.

Abstract. In this paper, we establish a causal connection between two of the most salient social developments in the United States over the past decades: t

Abstract. We use novel surveys of firms and workers, linked to administrative employer-employee data, to study the prevalence and importance of individual

Abstract. We use anonymized admissions data from several colleges linked to income tax records and SAT and ACT test scores to study the determinants and ca

Click here to add your signature. An Open Letter from Economists in Support of Governor Lisa Cook and Federal Reserve Independence To the President, Members of Congress, and the American public: We wr...

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Abstract. Does family history matter for policymaking in democracies? Linking members of Congress to the census, we observe countries of birth for members,

Date: March 11, 2025

Abstract. We present evidence that the high estimated MPCs from the leading household studies result in implausible macroeconomic counterfactuals. Using th

Abstract. Low unionization rates, a falling real federal minimum wage, and outsourcing have hampered wage growth in the low-wage sector in the US for sever

Though their goals obviously differed, Republican and Democratic administrations have for decades relied on the work of social scientists both within and outside the government to conduct research on ...

Christopher Jencks, one of the Prospect’s founding group, has died.

His clear prose, illuminating data and novel arguments helped transform debates around issues like public education and welfare reform.

His clear prose, illuminating data and novel arguments helped transform debates around issues like public education and welfare reform.

Abstract. This paper examines language patterns in US television news coverage of police killings. We first document that the media use semantic structures

Abstract. A longstanding and influential view in U.S. correctional policy is that “nothing works” when it comes to rehabilitating incarcerated individuals.

Abstract. This paper examines the impact of denying a wanted abortion on women and children in Colombia using high-quality administrative microdata and cre

Abstract. Is government guiding the invisible hand at the top of the labor market? We use new administrative data to measure physicians’ earnings and estim

Abstract. We identify phrases associated with novel technologies using textual analysis of patents, job postings, and earnings calls, enabling us to identi

Abstract. What causes adverse policing outcomes, such as excessive uses of force and unnecessary arrests? Prevailing explanations focus on problematic offi

Abstract. Workers who are worried about their personal finances may find it hard to focus at work. If so, reducing financial concerns could increase produc

Abstract. In all OECD countries, mandatory notice (MN) policies require firms to inform workers in advance of a layoff. In our theoretical framework, MN he