Economics | Penn Today

Piggy bank with a graduation cap on top of a pocket calculator.

Why making public colleges tuition free won’t close the enrollment gap

Wharton doctoral student in finance Mehran Ebrahimian argues that the inadequacy of college preparedness among low-income students is a bigger obstacle than financing tuition costs.

Top 1% of earners don’t pay taxes on one-fifth of income, study finds

Richard Prisinzano of the Wharton School said auditing wealthy people can be a challenge for the IRS. “An audit, even if it’s random, it takes a lot more resources than, say, someone making $25,000 a year who’s just taking the earned income tax credit,” he said.

Semiconductor being manufactured by machine

Q&A

Why the semiconductor shortage won’t end soon

Morris A. Cohen of the Wharton School explains the current shortage of semiconductor parts and how that affects everything from automobiles to PlayStations.

teacher leaning on desk speaking to student

COVID-19 and women in the workforce

Experts across Penn explain how the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality and challenged female career advancement in the STEMM fields, education, and business.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman sees climate as the next big education push after COVID-19 reopening

Daniel Aldana Cohen of the School of Arts & Sciences and Akira Drake Rodriguez and Billy Fleming of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design spoke about the “climate + community project,” which calls for transformative investments in green infrastructure and public education. “There’s a ton of public money on the table this decade—we have to spend it right,” said Cohen.

picture of coins with the letter "B" on it and computer chip

Q&A

What’s all the buzz about Bitcoin?

What’s all the buzz about Bitcoin? Mauro Guillén, a professor of international management at the Wharton School answers the questions surrounding the sudden interest.

Mural of a tree trunk with a banner wrapped around it that reads PLANT THE SEED UBI against a shining sun.

Guaranteed income increases employment, improves financial and physical health

Results from the first year of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration show that guaranteed income drastically improves job prospects, financial stability and overall wellbeing of recipients.

View of Philadelphia skyline with Penn Park in foreground

Q&A

Invested and engaged

In a Q&A, Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli reflects on the University’s latest Economic Impact Report and the new effort to include an account of Penn’s civic engagement and impact on Philadelphia, its residents, and surrounding communities.

The biggest payoff from Stockton’s basic income program: Jobs

Research co-led by Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice found that a trial basic income program had profound effects on recipients, increasing economic stability and lowering psychological distress.

U.S. productivity plummeted in Q4, and reopening the economy might be why

Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice said reopening businesses may have contributed to a recent drop in labor productivity figures. “Businesses that were not as productive normally, such as restaurants, have started reopening,” she said. “So that drags down the average productivity.”

Filters