December 29, 2017
Staff

Amid the frenetic news cycle of the past year, faculty at Harris Public Policy continued to cut through the clutter on the pressing policy issues facing our nation and the world using innovative, evidence-based research approaches. As we turn the corner on a new year with our Breaking Through series, we look back the many accomplishments of our Harris faculty with seven research-driven stories that made the news in 2017.

Dispelling Healthcare Myths

New research from Dean Katherine Baicker and co-authors refutes a popular misperception about emergency department use as evidence shows the uninsured do not use the ER more than other patients -- they use other care less.

Read more in the Washington Post and Vox.

"Institutional Racism" In Cook County Property Taxes

Professor Christopher Berry and team’s research uncovers the unequal burden that Cook County's property tax system puts on poorer homeowners, with tax breaks going to the rich.

Read more in the Chicago Tribune “Tax Divide” series.

Why Everything We Knew About Sweatshops Is Wrong

Professor Christopher Blattman and co-author share insights from their research in Ethiopia, dispelling textbook economic notions on the question of whether or not sweatshops can help lift workers out of poverty.

Read more in the New York Times.

Video Games and Why Young Men Are Working Less

Professor Kerwin Charles and fellow economists examine why younger men are working fewer hours; their findings reveal the surprising economic consequences of video game use in America.

Read more in the New York Times and Vox.

Air Pollution and Life Expectancy in China

An innovative study by Professor Michael Greenstone and co-authors finds that a Chinese policy is unintentionally causing people in northern China to live 3.1 years less than people in the south due to higher air pollution concentrations; the findings led to the development a new measure in the Air Quality-Life Index (AQLI).

Read more in Wall Street Journal and Quartz.

The Cost of Climate Change

Assistant Professor Amir Jina and Rhodium Group co-authors take a pioneering look at the economic impacts of climate change, projecting that unmitigated climate change will make the U.S. poorer and more unequal.

Read more in the New York Times and Crain’s Chicago Business.

Measuring Poverty

Contrary to numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Professor Bruce Meyer and co-author find that poverty has fallen sharply in the U.S. in recent decades as published in their inaugural Consumption Poverty Report.

Read more in the Wall Street Journal and The Hill.

For more from Harris' 2017 year-in-review series, Breaking Through, check out our most-viewed alumni and student stories and podcasts. 

Looking for more evidence-based policy news? Visit our Harris faculty In-the-News section.