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An innovative study by an MIT economist found that in 10 major countries, companies sell their wares at the same prices in stores and online, at the same moments, nearly three-quarters of the time.

A fair price to pay?

Study shows online retail prices often match store prices — and suggests why they sometimes do not.

January 31, 2017

A new technique can better extract correct answers from large groups of people. For a given question, people are asked two things: What they think the right answer is, and what they think popular opinion will be. The variation between the two aggregate responses indicates the correct answer.

Better wisdom from crowds

MIT scholars produce new method of harvesting correct answers from groups.

January 25, 2017

Timothy Hyde, architectural historian and associate professor in the History, Theory, and Criticism (HTC) section of the MIT Department of Architecture.

House rules

Research shows how rebuilding Britain’s Houses of Parliament in the 1800s helped create clean-air laws.

January 12, 2017

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in an address at MIT on Monday that the effort to limit climate change was a dire “race against time” but one that could be successful due to the economic promise of renewable energy.

John Kerry: Climate drive an urgent “race against time”

At MIT, U.S. Secretary of State highlights peril of climate change, economic promise of clean energy.

January 9, 2017

Arthur Kaledin, professor emeritus of history and American studies, dies at 86

Scholar and noted expert in the life of French diplomat and political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville was an acclaimed MIT teacher.

December 6, 2016

Mongolian anthropologist Manduhai Buyandelger’s career path took shape when she received a Fulbright scholarship to study in the U.S. This allowed her to start graduate school at Harvard, where scholars such as Nicola di Cosmo and Michael Herzfeld took note of her remarkable linguistic range — Buyandelger could then do research in traditional and contemporary Mongolian, Russian, English, and a...

Steppe by steppe

Mongolian anthropologist Manduhai Buyandelger studies a society in transition.

November 30, 2016

(Left to right): Heidi Williams, the Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor in MIT’s Department of Economics; and Amy Finkelstein, the John and Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at MIT. By scrutinizing millions of Medicare patients who have moved from one place to another, the researchers have found that patients and providers account for virtually equal shares of the diff...

Decoding the medical cost mystery

Providers and patients drive health care spending in roughly equal amounts, study shows.

November 3, 2016

“The task force spent significant time imagining the kind of library we need at an institution that aims to improve the world,” said Chris Bourg, director of MIT Libraries, who served as the task force chair. “This is an opportunity to go big, to invent the future of the information landscape, and to envision how we can leverage the unique strengths, expertise, and values of MIT to lead the ...

MIT task force releases preliminary “Future of Libraries” report

New library proposals meant to enhance “meaningful access to knowledge.”

October 24, 2016

“Contrary to the conjecture that Medicaid would get people to [move] out of the emergency room and to the primary care physician, we’re seeing a persistent increase in emergency room use,” says Amy Finkelstein, the John and Jennie S. MacDonald Professor of Economics at MIT.

Study: With Medicaid, ER visits remain high for two years

Acquiring health insurance does not lead to drop in emergency room usage.

October 19, 2016

“MIT is wonderful because in addition to [finding] an amazing home in economics, I can talk with and learn from a lot of people on the science side,” says Heidi Williams, the Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor in MIT’s Department of Economics.
MIT professor Heidi Williams

Making a splash in health care economics

Heidi Williams builds all-new data sets to answer questions about innovation and biomedical research.

October 18, 2016

MIT economist Bengt Holmström wins Nobel Prize

Holmström shares award with Oliver Hart for work on contract theory.

October 10, 2016

A new study of rural India shows that modest levels of medical training can improve the quality of health care furnished by informal health care providers. The study was co-authored by Abhijit Banerjee, the Ford International Professor of Economics at MIT and a co-author of the study, pictured here on the right during a visit to India.

Provider, improve thyself

Study shows unlicensed health care practitioners in India improve with modest training.

October 6, 2016

“Open to Debate: How William F. Buckley Put Liberal America on the Firing Line,” published by HarperCollins, and written by Heather Hendershot, professor of film and media in MIT’s Comparative Media Studies/Writing program.

Changing the face of conservatism in the U.S.

New book by professor Heather Hendershot explores impact of William F. Buckley’s “Firing Line.”

October 4, 2016

Brenna Schneider, second from right, the founder and CEO of apparel maker 99Degrees Custom. The firm was a grand-prize champion at MIT’s first Inclusive Innovation Competition, on September 27, 2016.

Innovation for everyone

Four firms take top prizes in MIT's new Inclusive Innovation Competition.

September 28, 2016

Geoffrey Supran PhD ’16 says “there are a lot of myths floating around about hybrid and electric cars,” for example concerning the manufacture of those vehicles, or their reliance on conventional electricity sources. This often leads people to claim that “they’re no better than your average gasoline vehicle. Our study shows that’s just not true.”

Study: Low-emissions vehicles are less expensive overall

Detailed look at 125 U.S. auto models finds those emitting less carbon are the least expensive to drive.

September 27, 2016

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