Is Taking Sides a Good Idea for Universities?

Is Fiscal Stimulus a Good Idea?

The results in this paper, using a structural multi-country macroeconometric model, suggest that there is at most a small gain from fiscal stimulus in the form of increased transfer payments or increased tax deductions if the increased debt generated must eventually be paid back. The gain in output and employment on the way up is roughly offset by the loss in output and employment on the way do...

PURLs: Is self-swabbing for STIs a good idea?

Is Product Boycott a Good Idea for Controlling Child Labor?

A popular form of action to curb child labor and uphold international labor standards in general is a product boycott by consumers. There are labeling agencies that inform us if, for instance, a carpet or a hand-stitched soccer ball is free of child labor. The presence of a consumer boycott will typically mean that products tainted by child labor will command a lower price on the market than on...

When is a Communicative Agent a Good Idea?

Research suggests humans treat computers in social ways. We understandably have an interest in building interfaces that use embodiment and natural language to conform to these social roles. However, we must be careful how and when we embed these agents so they actually improve on existing interfaces, rather than simply making them more social.

Implicit partisanship: taking sides for no reason.

After spending 45 s studying the names of 4 members of a hypothetical group, subjects showed both implicit liking and implicit identification with the group. These effects of studying names were much larger than the mere exposure (R. B. Zajonc, 1968) effects of either 6 (Experiment 2) or 10 (Experiment 3) extra exposures to each name. This implicit partisanship effect differs from the minimal g...