Economics

"Peter Diamond is one of my intellectual heroes," says Stephen Morris. "His research laid the foundations of an MIT tradition of studying economic theory with tight connections to applied fields. I have always admired this tradition, and since my move to MIT, I have had the pleasure of confirming that it is alive and thriving."

Stephen Morris named inaugural Peter A. Diamond Professor of Economics

MIT Department of Economics establishes new professorship honoring Institute professor and Nobel laureate.

July 14, 2020

During the MicroMasters completion celebration, credential holder David Fong describes how his work with the nonprofit Spur Afrika was informed by his coursework in Data, Economics, and Development Policy.

Learners today, leaders tomorrow

MITx MicroMasters Program credential holders leverage MIT-caliber education to move their industries to the cutting edge.

July 13, 2020

More than 1,900 attendees from 101 countries participated in a J-PAL webinar series that replaced the annual Evaluating Social Programs Course. The interactive sessions introduced participants to why and how randomized evaluations can be used to rigorously measure program impact.

J-PAL webinar series on program evaluation draws global audience

Five-day offering provided nearly 2,000 participants with an introduction to the design and use of randomized evaluations to test the effectiveness social programs.

July 8, 2020

MIT economist David Autor has produced a new study showing that Blacks and Hispanics are particularly affected by the decline in middle-class urban jobs in recent decades.

The urban job escalator has stopped moving

Study shows cities have stopped providing middle-class work in recent decades — especially for Black and Latino workers.

July 8, 2020

Top row (l-r): Daron Acemoglu, Kristin Bergmann, Gigliola Staffilani, Catherine Drennan. Middle row (l-r): Anna Mikusheva, Kerri Cahoy, Larry Susskind, Gene-wei Li. Bottom row (l-r): Jesse Kroll, Caroline Jones, Alfredo Alexander-Katz, Colette Heald.

Twelve MIT faculty honored as “Committed to Caring” for 2020-2021

Honor recognizes faculty mentors who devote true attention to students’ well-being.

June 30, 2020

A newly-published study co-authored by MIT professor Christopher Palmer shows that quantitative easing helped consumers substantially during the last big economic downturn.

Helping consumers in a crisis

“Quantitative easing” program let households spend more during the last recession. Could it work again?

June 25, 2020

A new study led by an MIT professor shows that areas in the U.S. introducing R&D tax credits experience a 20 percent rise in high-quality new-firm-formation over a 10-year period.

State-level R&D tax credits spur growth of new businesses

Study also finds tax breaks for general business investment have slightly negative effect on innovation.

June 12, 2020

MIT researchers have published a study examining which types of businesses should be open or closed during the Covid-19 crisis. Vital forms of commerce that are relatively uncrowded and produce fewer health risks fare the best in the study; less significant types of businesses that generate crowds perform worse.

Which businesses should be open?

In light of Covid-19, an MIT study looks at tradeoffs between economic value and public health, across different types of retail.

June 11, 2020

QS ranks MIT the world’s No. 1 university for 2020-21

Ranked at the top for the ninth straight year, the Institute also places first in 12 subject areas.

June 9, 2020

Left to right: Michelle Bai '20 (economics and political science), Frances Parker-Hale '20 (political science), and Nwanacho Nwana '20 (political science and management science.)

Recent political science graduates see brighter days ahead

Leveraging unique undergraduate opportunities, new MIT political science alumni pursue bright prospects.

June 4, 2020

The MIT Class of 2020 can look forward to an online celebration that Professor Eric Grimson, chair of the Commencement Committee, calls, "a joyful day that will honor our graduates."

Hacking Commencement

Marshalling forces from across the Institute, MIT will deliver an online celebration worthy of the Class of 2020.

May 26, 2020

For generations, dissertation defenses have been crowning moments for PhD candidates. Now, with the pandemic limiting activity on the MIT campus from mid-March onward, moving dissertation defenses to Zoom has been a necessary adjustment.

Inside the new world of online dissertation defenses

Emojis, grandmas logging in, and kudos from strangers: How MIT students have finished their PhDs during the pandemic.

May 22, 2020

White blood cells are among the first to mount an attack against sepsis, a deadly complication of Covid-19. In a project led by MIT Professor Daniela Rus, researchers are developing a machine learning system to detect an activated immune response to sepsis which could lead to earlier, more aggressive treatment. Here, a white blood cell attacks malaria.

Marshaling artificial intelligence in the fight against Covid-19

The MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab is funding 10 research projects aimed at addressing the health and economic consequences of the pandemic.

May 19, 2020

Addison Stark (left) and Abigail Ostriker

Q&A: Energy studies at MIT and the next generation of energy leaders

Abigail Ostriker ’16 and Addison Stark SM ’10, PhD ’15 share how their experiences with MIT’s energy programs connect them to the global energy community.

May 18, 2020

MIT News recently spoke with three leaders of MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future. Left to right: co-chair David A. Mindell, professor of aeronautics and astronautics, the Dibner Professor of the History of Engineering and Manufacturing at MIT; executive director Elisabeth Beck Reynolds PhD ‘10, who is also executive director of the MIT Industrial Performance Center; and co-chair David ...

The changing world of work

MIT Task Force on the Work of the Future responds to rapid changes brought by the pandemic.