Lisa Mullins of WBUR’s All Things Considered speaks with Prof. Bengt Holmström about winning the Nobel Prize in economics for his work examining how contracts motivate and affect people’s behavior. Holmström explains, “incentives are not just about paying people, it is also about job design.”
Prof. Bengt Holmström and Harvard Prof. Oliver Hart were awarded the Noel Prize in economics for their work on how to design better contracts, Deirdre Fernandes and Hiawatha Bray report for The Boston Globe. “Bengt and Oliver’s research has not only helped us to better understand incentives and institutions, it has helped us design better ones,” explains Prof. James Poterba.
Jeff Guo writes for The Washington Post about Prof. Bengt Holmström, one of the recipients of this year’s Nobel Prize in economics. “It’s just such a richly deserved prize,” said Glenn Ellison, head of MIT’s economics department. “Bengt’s work is outstanding both for answering really important questions, and for how beautifully crafted it is mathematically.”
Associated Press reporter Karl Ritter writes that Prof. Bengt Holmström has been honored with the Nobel Prize in economics. ‘‘I certainly did not expect it, at least at this time, so I was very surprised and very happy, of course,’’ Holmström said.
Prof. Bengt Holmström won the Nobel Economics Prize for his work on contract theory, Daniel Dickson and Ross Kerber report for Reuters. "This theory has really been incredibly important, not just for economics, but also for other social sciences," said Prof. Per Stromberg, a member of the prize committee.
Writing for Sports Illustrated, Prof. John Leonard explains his analysis of the science behind Deflategate. Leonard writes that he is, “100% convinced that there was no illegal deflation. Understanding why is a tale of two inexpensive digital pressure gauges—the so-called Logo Gauge and the Non-Logo Gauge.”
Adam Piore spotlights Prof. Earl Miller’s research into the mechanisms behind working memory in an article for Discover. “Earl is kind of a rock star,” says Prof. Brad Postle of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “When he says something, a lot more people notice it.”
Prof. Thomas Levenson writes for The Atlantic about the response to author Andrea Wulf winning the Royal Society Insight Investment Book Prize. “Discounting a great work at the moment it earns one of science writing’s highest honors based on the gender of its creator is just one more barrier women science writers have to deal with that men don’t.”
An article co-written by Prof. Carlo Ratti for The Guardian describes how the internet has changed people’s attitudes towards consumption. “The internet has heightened the prestige of sharing by turning it into a communicable experience,” Ratti notes.
Prof. Rainer Weiss speaks with Marco Werman of PRI about his childhood, what inspired his interest in science, and black holes. "One of the dreams I would have, had Einstein been still alive, is to tell him about this,” said Weiss, of the successful detection of gravitational waves. “I would have loved to have seen what he would have thought.”
Prof. Emeritus Rodney Brooks and Prof. Michael Stonebraker are featured in Boston Magazine’s list of the 30 most influential people in the local technology scene. Brooks was honored for his work in the field of robotics, and Stonebraker for his work developing new ways for data to be stored and analyzed.
Prof. Stuart Madnick writes for CNBC about how corporations can protect themselves from the growing threat of cyber crime. “It is up to senior business leaders to take the lead in protecting their organizations,” writes Madnick. “That can only be accomplished by working together with government, industry, and academia.”
Senior lecturer Robert Pozen writes for The Financial Times about the new money market (mm) reforms. Pozen argues that “in 2017, the SEC should re-consider its new rules on institutional MM funds in light of the actual rise in borrowing costs for banks, companies and local governments.”
A letter co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel warns against withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, writes Chelsea Harvey for The Washington Post. “The U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement would really set back all of our efforts to deal with climate problems,” says Emanuel.
Mercury News reporter Lisa Krieger writes that a letter co-authored by Prof. Kerry Emanuel warns U.S. politicians about the dangers of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement. “We all reacted with some shock to statements from the Republican platform that would have reversed decades of progress,” said Emanuel. “We felt we had to say something.”