In a conversation regarding the legal authority of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and its capacity to limit companies from opening master accounts, Wharton Professor Peter Conti-Brown argues that he unconvinced that the Fed holds this legal right. 

In this New York Times Article, Wharton Professor John Paul MacDuffie argues that no other auto manufacturer “…has achieved the impact on the public’s imagination, brand loyalty or sales success of Tesla.” MacDuffie suggests that although Tesla has had issues in relation to production of electric cars, it has not persuaded people to surrender their loyalty to the organization. Furthermore, MacDuffie indicates that the strong customer base for Tesla is attributed to its “…value chain from product conception through delivery to customers is carried out by the company itself…”In addition to their brand loyalty and in-house management structure, MacDuffie implies that one of Tesla’s unique propositions is its “…ability to update vehicle functionality via over- the- air software updates;…” Their public reputation, in house-management structure, and ability to adapt are what MacDuffie believes will make Tesla a big player in the electric car business.

Wharton Professor Mark V. Pauly and University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health Professor Anthony LoSasso discuss in a joint-session the reclassification risk in small -group health insurance markets. LoSasso’s research indicates that the market protects against reclassification risk via guaranteed renewal. Pauly discusses the policy implications of LoSasso’s findings. Professor Pauly proposes various ideas to combat the issue of reclassification risk. One of his ideas is proposing an individual mandate that contains guaranteed renewal-like features for covered persons.

Professor Katherine L. Milkman offers her perspective of incentivizing people to lower their life insurance premiums through data sharing. She asserts: “For an insurer, you’re going to get healthier people — that’s why they’re going to give you all their data,…The unhealthy ones are going to go to other insurers:…” Milkman suggests that data sharing provides insurance companies with security when deciding to insure a specific individual or group. Also, she contends that the use of data may be a solution to help motivate others to become healthier individuals. Furthermore, she implies that the use of data will play a more prominent role in the life insurance industry.

Is the global financial system more secure since the crash of 2008? Professor Richard J. Herring indicates that because of new regulations, banks are less prone to experience another collapse. He argues “Most of the reforms have aimed at reducing the vulnerability of banks…. Equally important, however, are the reforms aimed at enabling the authorities to deal with a bank insolvency without imperiling the financial system.” Herring also compares the effects of the global financial crash in other markets, such as the European Union. He contends “…the fundamental problem [the Europeans] faced is that they lacked the important back-up of a facility comparable to TARP. They lacked financial resources to recapitalize banks that were inadequately capitalized…”

Ethan Mollick, who is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, informs the reader about the uses of crowdfunding. He states crowdfunding is  “a variety of different efforts by entrepreneurs—cultural, social, and for-profit—to fund their efforts by drawing on relatively small contributions from a relatively large number of individuals using the internet.” In this quote, Mollick contends that crowdfunding is one of the many revolutionary manners on how startups can be funded. Additionally, he suggests that its diverse use provides people a means to connect with their respective investors on a more personal level.

In challenging the notion of Lehman Brothers causing the 2008 financial crisis, Professor David Arthur Skeel contends that they were not the main culprits. Professor Skeel puts forth a step-by-step analysis of why Lehman’s demise was not the sole event that caused this major financial event in American history. He argues “Almost exactly six months before Lehman, another major investment bank, Bear Stearns, collapsed in similar fashion.  Regulators’ handling of Bear Stearns’ distress set the stage for everything that followed.” In this quote, Skeel indicates that we must look pre-Lehman for the troubling signs of the impending financial collapse.

In light of threats by Whole Food employees to unionize against Amazon, Peter Cappelli points out that “employers are very effective at keeping them out. One way they do that is that they don’t have a lot of full-time employees. It’s difficult to get part-time employees to organize. They have a high turnover, so people don’t stay long enough to invest in starting a union.”

In a discussion on the status of US pension programs and the problems affecting its viability, Professor Olivia Mitchell claims “Globally, pension funds have been investing less and less in equities and bonds and investing more in so-called other alternatives: private equity, infrastructure, emerging markets… That’s really a search for higher returns, and that also comes with higher risk.”

Co-director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Process Center, Howard Kunreuther’s research was cited in an article attempting to answer the question of whether or not increased news exposure to disaster will help people become more prepared for them. His work outlines the reasons why people neglect to prepare disaster. 

In a discussion on a controversial argument to target Amazon with anti-trust regulations for its anticompetitive practices, Professor of Law, Herbert Hovenkamp, argues that this type of action would be socially and economically regressive for America. 

Professor John MacDonald and his research partner, Professor Charles Branas of Columbia University, are featured in a New Yorker article about “broken window” policing for their research on the intersection between abandoned properties and the prevalence of gun violence. They found that remediation in abandoned and vacant properties can tangibly reduce the the rate of gun violence in a given area.

In a discussion on the corporate lessons to be learned from hurricanes and climate change, Co-director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Process Center, Howard Kunreuther claims that executives are often very good at short term problem resolution and risk assessments.

In a discussion on the relationship between college majors and professional ambitions, Peter Cappelli, the Professor of Management at The Wharton School, notes how the implementation of new hiring software has changed the paradigm of employment, but not always in the best ways. 

With the fate of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program still uncertain, Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics and Health Policy, David A. Asch MD, claims that there justifiable reasons for both preserving and changing the it entirely. 

In a candid conversation about the actual cost saving effects of M&A’s, Assistant Professor of Health Care Management at The Wharton School Ashley Swanson, claims that these figures are dependent on “geographically local efficiencies in price negotiations for high-tech physician preference items.”

Through an economic analysis of the Turkish lira crisis, Professor of Finance Joao Gomes, argues that fears of widespread contagion are unfounded. Gomes claims that even countries that have made the biggest investments in Turkish banks such as Italy and Spain are not at risk of a similar collapse. The professor does, however, points out the role of populism and short-sighted economic practices that have led to the devaluation of the lira. Ultimately, Gomes claims that Turkey is at the mercy of international creditors and only time will tell how their currency crisis will be resolved.

In a discussion on the growing number of American retirees selling their shares of US companies and the growing number of foreign investors buying them, Faculty Affiliate Jeremy Siegel notes how this foreign access to American technology can result in national security concerns. 

In a study on the Best and Worst States for health care, Faculty Affiliate Amol Navathe was featured on a panel of experts that discussed a variety of different variables that shape access, quality, and price of care. In particular, Navathe focused on health care reform and the relationship between coverage plans and the overall market. 

In light of the Thai soccer team rescue, Faculty Affiliate Michael Useem reflects on the leadership lessons that can be distilled from the event. Through a review of the ordeal, Professor Useem highlights the required “big-heartedness” of various actors such as the Thai government, the rescue team, and the soccer players themselves.

In a discussion on tax laws and its impact on California real estate, Faculty Affiliate Fernando Ferreira’s research was cited for its findings that claim that there has been a sharp discontinuity in the likelihood of moving between homeowners 54 years old and those just a year older.

As a part of the “Focus On…” interview series which highlights the work and experiences of regulatory professionals, Faculty Affiliate Cary Coglianese discusses the Penn Program on Regulation and his role as the Program Director.

Faculty Affiliate Peter Cappelli debunks a common misconception that “gigs” or short contract-type engagements such as those operated through online platforms like Uber are growing so fast that all jobs will be like this soon. Professor Cappelli cites findings from the Contingent Work Survey published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as evidence contrary to the misconception.

Faculty Affiliate Susan Wachter was featured on a panel of guests discussing the potential upsides of gentrification and models for how to make it beneficial for all parties. The panel argues that the most careful empirical analyses conducted by urban economists have failed to detect a rise in displacement within gentrifying neighborhoods.

In a discussion on the developing trade war between the US and China, Faculty Affiliate Mauro Guillen expands the geopolitical perspective of the narrative and points out nations such as Mexico are closely watching the affair in light of their own negotiations with the US.

In a historical review of the American Economy since the Great Recession, Faculty Affiliate Peter Cappelli cautions against using unemployment and job openings as purely positive indicators of the strength of the economy.

In a discussion on the developing trade tensions between the EU and the US, Faculty Affiliate Ann Harrison says that the Trump Administration’s tariff moves have been shocking because few expected the president to follow through with these threats and because it involves the US’ closest allies.

In her new co-authored paper entitled, “Regulating Business Innovation  as Policy Disruption: From Model T to Airbnb,”Faculty Affiliate Sarah Light takes a historical look at the challenges surrounding regulating disruptor companies such as Uber and Airbnb and offers an analytical framework for regulatory responses.