The complex effects of colonial rule in Indonesia
Evidence links Dutch-era sugar production and greater economic activity today.
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Hospital rankings hold up
Some basic metrics do effectively diagnose care quality, according to MIT economists.
Study: Commercial air travel is safer than ever
The rate of passenger fatalities has declined yet again in the last decade, accelerating a long-term trend.
Blood and politics in India
New book explores the use of blood in political rhetoric, imagery, and activism, and even the politics of blood drives.
In health care, does “hotspotting” make patients better?
Study shows no effect from program intended to reduce repeated hospitalizations by targeting high-cost patients.
When machine learning packs an economic punch
Study: After eBay improved its translation software, international commerce increased sharply.
A closer look at the diabetes disaster
In a new book, Amy Moran-Thomas examines how diabetes is reaching epidemic levels in countries across the world.
New health insurance insights
Economists analyze how patients and health care providers value Medicaid.
Bringing figures in anticolonial politics out of the shadows
MIT historian Sana Aiyar sheds new light on the complexities of independence movements and global migration.
Tracking contagion in cities, using mobile phone data
Study shows how commuting and other forms of everyday travel help spread mosquito-borne disease in urban settings.
Historian of the hinterlands
In overlooked spots on the map, MIT Professor Kate Brown examines the turbulence of the modern world.
Economics for hard times
In new book, Nobel laureates Banerjee and Duflo examine what we know about the global economy and how to improve it.
Optimizing kidney donation and other markets without money
MIT economist Nikhil Agarwal analyzes the efficiency of markets that match suppliers and consumers but don’t use prices.
Economist Stanley Fischer calls for autonomy in central banking
In MIT talk, the former vice chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve reflects on his career as a policy leader.
3 Questions: Alan Lightman’s new novel about Cambodia and family
MIT writer’s new work, “Three Flames,” explores the fractures and bonds among kin in a rebuilding society.