This project aims to modernize U.S. economic statistics by evaluating the integration of high-frequency private-sector data, such as credit card transactions, job postings, and online prices, into ...

Canonical economic theory clearly predicts means-tested transfers will reduce work. We provide new evidence on this question in the context of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the ...

Can the enhanced mobility created by transportation infrastructure investments help people to avoid environmental extremes? We use transaction records from China’s card payment system to measure ...

We develop and quantify a novel growth theory in which economic activity endogenously shifts from material production to quality improvements. Consumers derive utility from goods with differing ...

This paper documents persistence in the power of elite families in Central China despite dynastic change. We study the impact of the fall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) on couples and their ...

This chapter reviews the literature on the relationship between culture and political preferences. We distinguish conceptually between the direct cultural transmission of political ideology and the ...

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