In an open letter, Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu, professor Simon Johnson, and co-authors said a massive budget bill passed by House lawmakers last month would weaken key safety-net programs while greatly lifting the federal debt. "The combination of cuts to key safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP and tax cuts disproportionately benefiting higher-income households means that the House budget constitutes an extremely large upward redistribution of income," they wrote.

"Improving technology and expanding the capabilities of some people may not necessarily translate into improved living standards for everyone," professor Simon Johnson said. "A lot of Big Tech bosses are more intensely focused on improving the capabilities of people like themselves."

Negotiating comes more naturally to some than others. A recent study by associate professor Jackson Lu found that MBA graduates of East Asian and South-East Asian ethnicity had markedly lower salaries than South Asians and whites. The propensity to negotiate among different groups explains the gap; East Asians and South-East Asians who did not try to negotiate were more likely to say they were concerned about damaging the relationship with an employer.

Recent graduates are facing a tougher job market, and many are being forced to rethink how their skills align with a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. Professor Sinan Aral joined Market Domination Overtime to explain how students and employers can adapt to the changing landscape.

"One of the biggest challenges that we face in finance is financial advice," said professor Andrew W. Lo. "How do we deal with various different investors' needs to manage their portfolio to achieve certain objectives."

In a recent research brief, principal research scientist Barbara Wixom, research scientist Nick van der Meulen, and co-author emphasized the importance of distinguishing between two types of data products: Data assets and data solutions. While both types require a product management mindset their performance metrics differ. "Asset owners think in terms of reuse and internal market development," says Wixom. "Solution owners think about cost, margin and actual dollar value."

Professor Nemit Shroff and co-author wrote: "Tucked into the latest House reconciliation bill is a stealth proposal to eliminate the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and fold its work into the Securities and Exchange Commission. It may sound at first like bureaucratic belt-tightening. In reality, it's a strategic blunder that could weaken American oversight in China, compromise financial transparency, and undercut the United States's global leadership position."

A recent study by Taïeb Hafsi (Sloan Fellows: SM '78) and co-authors is based on a 20-year observation of institutional change in Algeria, North Africa. The researchers explored how a family-owned company succeeded in modernizing agriculture and triggering significant institutional change by collaborating with public authorities and farmers to tackle national food insecurity. This case offers new insights into the role of intentionality in shaping change-oriented action.

Institute Professor Daron Acemoglu challenges the AI revolution narrative with surprising data: AI will likely automate just 5% of tasks and add only 1% to global GDP this decade. And where the internet's potential was clear early on, AI's is not, and the technology has yet to deliver applications that can transform production or create valuable new services.

Professor Emeritus Richard Schmalensee explained that while relying solely on solar and wind power presents challenges due to their variability, "averaged over their lifetimes, the price of wind and solar power per kilowatt-hour is lower than that of coal or gas."