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School of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences

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The New York Times

In an article for The New York Times, Prof. Charles Stewart III examines how to ensure that voting is safe and accessible during this year’s presidential election. “We need the campaigns, the leaders with big followings and civil society to point voters to the correct information on all the different ways to vote this November and why each mode is safe and secure,” writes Stewart.

New York Times

A study co-authored by Prof. Jonathan Gruber finds that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate did not significantly impact coverage rates, reports Sarah Kliff for The New York Times. “The mandate made a difference, but not a huge difference in terms of the numbers of people signing up,” says Gruber.

The Boston Globe

Boston Globe reporter Don Aucoin spotlights the virtual MTA Playwrights Lab, an annual festival led by senior lecturer Ken Urban that features “staged readings resulting from collaborations between MIT students and professional theater artists.”

Economist

In a piece exploring why certain countries experience wealth or poverty, The Economist spotlights Prof. Daron Acemoglu’s book, “The Narrow Corridor,” and recent research by Acemoglu and Prof. Simon Johnson. The Economist notes that Acemoglu and Johnnson “found a further element of randomness which may explain contemporary patterns of wealth and poverty—namely, which countries are more prone to certain diseases.”

National Public Radio (NPR)

Profs. Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee join NPR’s Planet Money for overrated or underrated, a game in which Banerjee and Duflo, winners of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, “rate everything from bread to foreign aid to dating an economist.”

Vox

A new working paper by MIT researchers details how the use of a universal basic income (UBI) helped people in Kenya with difficult economic situations, writes Kelsey Piper for Vox. The researchers found that the UBI provided “income benefits in good times and then stability benefits during bad times,” says Prof. Tavneet Suri.

The Washington Post

Writing for The Washington Post, Prof. Charles Stewart III examines the risks posed by voting by mail. “The greatest risks of voting by mail are voters’ own mistakes,” writes Stewart. “To minimize this problem, election officials can warn voters that a mistake on their absentee ballot means it won’t be counted — or they can design ballots and instructions using plain language.”

The Atlantic

In an excerpt from his new book published by The Atlantic, Prof. Thomas Levenson explores how even famed scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton are not immune to making disastrous financial decisions. “When financial markets offer the temptation of ever-rising values, not even the smartest people can resist,” writes Levenson.

The Wall Street Journal

Wall Street Journal reporter Christopher Mims spotlights Prof. Daron Acemoglu’s research examining the impact of automation on employment and a new essay from Prof. David Autor and Dr. Elisabeth Reynolds that illustrates how the pandemic could exacerbate economic inequality. 

National Public Radio (NPR)

Prof. Charles Stewart III speaks with Audie Cornish of NPR about the security of absentee and mail-in voting. Stewart notes that states that have offered mail-in voting for years, such as Oregon, Washington and Colorado, have not had issues with widespread voter fraud.

Financial Times

In a letter to the Financial Times, graduate student Daniel Aronoff underscores his view that central banks should proceed with caution when considering digital currencies. “The US Fed and other central banks are wise to embark on the research that will keep them at the forefront of knowledge and, possibly, enable them to develop implementations that are safe and beneficial to the citizens of their countries,” writes Aronoff.

Fortune

Writing for Fortune, graduate student Nina McMurry examines how public health authorities can allay fears about contact tracing apps. “Public health authorities need to make sure that the public understands what the technology is doing,” McMurry and her co-authors write. “Even if an app is privacy-preserving, the public may not perceive it as such.”

The Wall Street Journal

In his new book “Money for Nothing,” Prof. Thomas Levenson “interweaves the story of the rise of mathematics and astronomy with the rise of bankers and actuaries and stock promoters,” writes James Grant in a review for the Wall Street Journal.

Newsweek

Newsweek reporter Meghan Roos writes that a study co-authored by Prof. Victor Chernozhukov finds a nationwide mask mandate in the U.S. could have reduced Covid-19 deaths by 40% among workers who regularly interact with the public. The researchers found “a national mask mandate for workers could have prevented between 17,000 and 55,000 deaths between the start of April and the start of June.”

New York Times

Prof. Richard J. Samuels reviews “Unconditional: The Japanese Surrender in World War II” by Marc Gallicchio for The New York Times. “’Unconditional’ is a sharp reminder of the power, imperfection and politicization of historical narrative,” writes Samuels, “and of the way debates can continue long after history’s witnesses have left the stage.”