Economics | Penn Today

Regulating ride-sharing

Wharton professors discuss New York City’s regulations on ride-hail companies such as Uber and Lyft, capping the number of vehicles on the road for one year, and requiring that drivers be paid a minimum wage.

Q&A

Camille Z. Charles on the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act

Camille Z. Charles, professor of sociology, Africana studies, and education, and director of the Center for Africana Studies, talks about residential segregation and the promises and failures of the Fair Housing Act in light of the legislation’s 50th anniversary.

After recessions, why do some jobs disappear forever?

Wharton finance professor Nikolai Roussanov explores the phenomenon of “job polarization,” and how it affects different skill sets in a post-recession job market.

Why the U.S. and China would both lose a new cold war

According to Wharton Dean Geoffrey Garrett, with each passing day, the U.S.-China standoff is looking less like a trade war and more like a “new cold war” between the world’s two most powerful countries.

Bankruptcy filings surge among older Americans

The Wharton School’s Olivia Mitchell commented on reports that bankruptcy rates are increasing among older people. The study’s sample was not representative, making it “impossible to determine whether the trends identified are statistically significant,” said Mitchell.

Culture and technology scholar Julia Ticona studies the promise and perils of the gig economy

The new faculty member at the Annenberg School for Communication has researched the underrepresentation of women in the media's coverage of the gig economy, and the reliance on technology, specifically the cell phone, on gig workers and the working class, arguing that it acts as a lifeline for finding jobs when internet access is lacking.

Trump administration mulls a unilateral tax cut for the rich

The Penn Wharton Budget Model shows that a tax cut for wealthy Americans would reduce government revenue by $102 billion over a decade, with the richest 1 percent receiving 86 percent of the benefits.

Orwell knew: We willingly buy the screens that are used against us

Sophia Rosenfeld of the School of Arts and Sciences proposed that consumers’ freedom of choice has been limited to a few set options.

Wages are rising in Europe. But economists are puzzled.

PIK Professor Aviv Nevo weighed in on analysts’ uncertainty about the current dynamics between wages and prices. Nevo attributed some of the confusion to researchers primarily pursuing information where it’s most easily found.

Digital currency ‘Initial Coin Offerings’ expose investors to risks

A research team led by Penn Law professor David Hoffman has conducted the first detailed analysis of Initial Coin Offerings of virtual currencies, revealing the estimated $25 billion dollar industry’s protections against self-dealing may leave investors exposed to risks they don’t anticipate from issuers.

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