Prof. Gary Gensler will be the Biden administration’s pick to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, reports Matthew Goldstein, Lauren Hirsch and Andrew Ross Sorkin for The New York Times. “Mr. Gensler is a veteran regulator who played a central role in bringing the big banks to heel in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, giving new teeth to a watchdog agency.”
MIT Sloan Prof. Antionette Schoar discusses her research on sidecar funds versus main buyout funds with Peter Barnes, Pat Carroll and Janet Wu on Bloomberg Radio. “When you compare the performance [of the two funds], we find that the side vehicle is underperforming the main funds of the partnerships that are sponsoring them,” explains Schoar.
The Economist explores the basics of free trade, its benefits and downsides, with Prof. John Van Reenen. “With free trade, you come into more contact with foreign companies, new ideas, new people and so on,” explains Van Reenen. “That’s mutually beneficial. And it is a political force for cooperation.”
Financial Times reporter Martin Sandbu highlights how MIT researchers have quantified the contribution U.S. states can make to the Paris climate agreement. The researchers found that climate change policy, “reduces the risk for private sector investments in green energy-related sectors that are well on their way to becoming lucrative growth industries.”
In an article for The Huffington Post, Prof. Georgia Perakis writes about her research on optimizing online retail bundle recommendations. Perakis explains that the model she developed with her colleagues uses optimization and machine learning to increase revenues and help customers "find more interesting and relevant items.”
CIO’s Sarah K. White talks to Bhaskar Pant, executive director of MIT Professional Education, about how cultural differences in the workplace can impact communication. Pant explains that there has been an “explosion in the ability to communicate with people across borders with such great ease."
Rob Britton writes for The Huffington Post about a new paper by Professor Bill Swelbar on the high subsidies provided to several Gulf airlines by their governments: Swelbar argues that “massive subsidies provided to Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways, are harming airline service to and from small and medium-sized communities.”
MIT lecturer Ben Shields writes for USA Today about how Deflategate will impact business for the Patriots. “When all is said and done…the Patriots, the NFL and even Brady all stand to emerge as winners in business over the long-term,” writes Shields.
In the first of a series of conversations, Professor Emeritus Robert Solow speaks with Paul Solman of PBS NewsHour about the past week’s economics news. Solow and Solman discuss recent fluctuations in the stock market, Federal Reserve interest rates and the response to the Greek debt crisis.
Paul Krugman writes for The New York Times about Professor JoAnne Yates' book “Control Through Communication.” In her book, Yates examines the history of the filing cabinet and the “coevolution of information technology and the business world before the digital age.”
David Slocum of Forbes lists “The Second Machine Age” by Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and Dr. Andrew McAfee as one of the best creative leadership books of the year. Brynjolfsson and McAfee, “explore the forces reinventing fields as diverse as medicine, retail, and transportation and having far-ranging implications for creative collaboration, business leadership and policy-making alike.”
David Morris writes for The Huffington Post about Professor Zeynep Ton’s research that shows investing in employees and operational practices is beneficial. “The combination makes work more efficient and more fulfilling while, lowers costs, boosts sale and profits and improves customer satisfaction,” Morris writes.
Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Emma Silverman writes about Prof. Eric So’s research showing that when companies delay earnings announcements they often have bad news to report. “The predictive power of calendar revisions is really striking,” says Dr. So. “Investors should really pay attention.”
Financial Times reporter John Thornhill speaks with MIT alumnus and former British foreign secretary David Miliband about his work with the International Rescue Committee, life in New York City and the European Union.
USA Today reporter Matt Krantz examines new research by MIT Visiting Professor Lily Fang showing that stock prices typically fall following long school vacations. “The after holiday effect is largely negative because it’s the bad news that gets largely missed during school breaks,” writes Krantz.