Takeaway: Even when individuals graduate from the exact same doctoral programs with comparable research output, first-generation graduates face persistent penalties in hiring, pay, and promotion compared to their socioeconomically advantaged peers. Key Points A persistent class penalty: First-generation college graduates in academia are 10% less likely to secure tenure at top research universities and earn lower salaries than classmates from privileged backgrounds who attende

Takeaway: Understanding the complex two-way relationship between gender equality and armed conflict is essential for creating effective humanitarian aid and building lasting economic stability in post-war societies. Key Points Societies with greater legal and social gender equality experience significantly lower rates of armed conflict, though proving direct cause-and-effect remains complex. Violent conflict inflicts severe direct and long-term costs on women—ranging from tar

Revealing salaries can help to reduce pay gaps, but is there a downside? Takeaway: This paper synthesizes international economic research to evaluate how different types of pay transparency laws—peer-to-peer disclosures, managerial pay visibility, and salary ranges in job postings—reshape worker motivation, salary negotiations, and employer hiring strategies. Key Points Peer transparency shrinks wage gaps, but can lower overall pay: Making salaries visible among direct cowork

Why top companies pay top wages Takeaway: High-paying firms owe their wage premia to product market dominance and profit-sharing with employees, demonstrating that collective bargaining power can counteract corporate market power to improve economic welfare. Key Points Profit-Sharing Drives Pay: High-wage firms do not just have higher productivity; they charge higher prices and higher markups, sharing a portion of these product market profits with their employees. Product Dom

Most Counties in the Nation saw incomes rise during the pandemic. By Nate Griffin – November 23, 2021 Key Points: Personal Income is up...

Large mortality differences exist between states, a recent article by Benjamin Couillard in the Journal of Economic Perspectives....