How minimum-wage increases squeeze the poor
Grocery stores raise prices to offset hikes in the minimum wage, a new study suggests. Poor households are impacted most.
Expert Commentary
Is your smartphone making you unhappy?
Smartphones are distracting. New research shows this distraction can lead to boredom, antisocial behavior and unhappiness.
Expert Commentary
“Don’t name them” – Criminologist asks journalists to help stop mass shootings
Criminologist Adam Lankford has found that mass shooters and suicide bombers are looking for fame. In an interview with JR, he asks journalists not to honor them, not to publish their names and pictures.
Expert Commentary
Hate speech breeds hate, says new research
Hate speech is not hard to find in 2017. Such verbal violence begets hate and prejudice, a new study finds.
Expert Commentary
New York can expect bigger floods, much more often
Imagine a storm like Hurricane Sandy hitting New York every five years. Under new climate models outlined in a prestigious scientific journal, the storms are likely to get much worse and hit much more often.
Expert Commentary
Google Street View can predict voting patterns and race
Google’s “Street View” photographs can be used to predict if a town will vote Democrat or Republican. They can also be used to estimate a neighborhood’s racial fabric.
Expert Commentary
Number of U.S. felons tripled in three decades
One-third of African American men have been convicted of a felony, according to data recently published in Demography. For white men, the figure is less than half that.
Expert Commentary
Nuclear may be critical for meeting Paris climate goals
Environmental campaigners are split on the role nuclear power can play in cleaning up the planet. New research suggests that closing nuclear plants increases carbon emissions.
Expert Commentary
Ethanol economics, emissions and the environment: A JR briefing
The United States produces over 1 million barrels of ethanol a day, mostly from corn, to be mixed into gasoline. But is it cleaner? And are the government’s economic incentives having intended consequences? We review the research.
Expert Commentary
Industrial spying helped East Germany narrow economic gap
Industrial espionage may call to mind men in trench coats and fedoras. These days, the spies are often hackers, but the handsome rewards still come with a cost.
Expert Commentary