Every election season, polling data fills headlines, drives campaign strategies, and sways public policy decisions. But what if the numbers aren’t as straightforward as they seem? And if subtle biases in how we ask questions or who asks them distorts our understanding of public sentiment? Our recent research sheds light on this issue by exploring a specific, yet often … [Read more...] about Are Polls Accurate? The Power of the Interviewer in Creating Bias
Macroeconomics and Finance
Unicorn Firms and Business Dynamism
In the ever-evolving landscape of global business, unicorn firms—startups valued at over $1 billion—have emerged as epitomes of business dynamism. They are not just disruptors; they are the vanguards of innovation, driving the three main components of business dynamism: entry, growth, and exit. Unicorns leverage groundbreaking ideas, cutting-edge technologies, and new … [Read more...] about Unicorn Firms and Business Dynamism
Business Dynamism is on the Decline Globally
Business dynamism occurs when new firms enter the market, existing firms expand, and less productive firms exit. But business dynamism is fading in many economies around the world, disrupting the process by which resources, such as labor and capital, are allocated efficiently in the economy. Much of the evidence for this can be seen in advanced economies, like … [Read more...] about Business Dynamism is on the Decline Globally
The Tradeoff in Large Foreign Firms’ Dominance of Export Markets
It is no secret that in many developing countries large foreign firms dominate the export market, giving them immense power to determine the prices at which a vast group of small exporting firms sell their goods. On the surface, this would seem to be a mostly negative phenomenon. In a recent study I conducted, for example, I found that these large foreign buyers impose … [Read more...] about The Tradeoff in Large Foreign Firms’ Dominance of Export Markets
How Do Latin American Urban Migrants Fare in their Destination Cities?
Urban migration is a powerful force in the economic landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean. As we highlight in "Rethinking Urban Migration," urban migrants play an important role in the economic vitality of the cities they move to, contributing productive labor, creating jobs, paying taxes, and stimulating local economic growth. For that reason, understanding how … [Read more...] about How Do Latin American Urban Migrants Fare in their Destination Cities?