Study: Preschool gives a big boost to college attendance

Research using a Boston admissions lottery shows striking effects for children throughout their student lives.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
Feb. 8, 2023 ~9 min

Medicaid coverage is expiring for millions of Americans – but there's a proven way to keep many of them insured

Evidence from Massachusetts suggests that a multistep process discourages enrollment. The findings could help policymakers stave off a sharp decline in coverage when COVID-19 policies change.

Mark Shepard, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School • conversation
Jan. 31, 2023 ~5 min


Unnatural selection

In a new book, “Risky Business,” Amy Finkelstein examines the core issue of the insurance industry: Who gets to be a customer?

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
Jan. 30, 2023 ~9 min

As US-EU trade tensions rise, conflicting carbon tariffs could undermine climate efforts

Both sides have reason to find common ground, says a group of energy and climate policy analysts.

Sagatom Saha, Research Scholar in Energy Policy, Columbia University • conversation
Jan. 23, 2023 ~10 min

Research collaboration to examine parent-child learning interactions’ impact on child skill and curiosity

J-PAL North America and the University of Chicago’s Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab will evaluate two approaches to text-based parental engagement programs that motivate two distinct kinds of learning interactions.

J-PAL North America • mit
Jan. 10, 2023 ~5 min

Maya people shopped at places like today’s supermarkets

To buy and sell obsidian, the Maya people used a market economy with far less oversight from their rulers that previously thought.

Will Ferguson-Washington State • futurity
Jan. 6, 2023 ~5 min

When fishing boats go dark at sea, they're often committing crimes – we mapped where it happens

Understanding when, where and why fishing vessels sometimes turn off their transponders is a key step toward curbing illegal fishing and other crimes on the high seas.

Heather Welch, Researcher in Ecosystem Dynamics, University of California, Santa Cruz • conversation
Dec. 21, 2022 ~9 min

Should we tax robots?

Study suggests a robot levy — but only a modest one — could help combat the effects of automation on income inequality in the U.S.

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
Dec. 21, 2022 ~7 min


What social media regulation could look like: Think of pipelines, not utilities

The US government regulates many industries, but social media companies don’t neatly fit existing regulatory templates. Systems that deliver energy may be the closest analog.

Theodore J. Kury, Director of Energy Studies, University of Florida • conversation
Dec. 15, 2022 ~9 min

Physician, heal thyself?

Research shows doctors and their families are less likely to follow guidelines about medicine. Why do the medically well-informed comply less often?

Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office • mit
Dec. 15, 2022 ~10 min

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