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the dismal scienceDismal Science, TheThe search for better economic policy.3NA=1154&NC=1246&DI=4098&PS=58345&PI=7315DismalfalsefalseMoneyspacernotembeddedthe dismal scienceAre Men More Competitive Than Women?Ray FismanfalseDon't bet on it.noAre Men More Competitive Than Women?Are men really more competitive than women?no"You've lost the warrior instinct," explained my friend's boss as he fired her after years of 100-hour work weeks. Delivered to a female employee, the comment contained an undercurrent of sexism and, when combined with some of her on-the-job experiences, probably constituted what civil rights lawyers call an "actionable statement." My friend, however, chalked it up to the macho, hyper-competitive environment of her chosen profession: investment banking.truenotochyperlinkno2009111371119AMFridayNovNovember711/13/2009 12:11:19 PM6339369307900000002009111371119AMFridayNovNovember711/13/2009 12:11:19 PM633936930790000000the dismal scienceErrors in JudgmentRay FismanfalseWere hundreds of criminals given the wrong sentences because lawyers messed up a basic work sheet?noErrors in JudgmentWere hundreds of criminals given the wrong sentences because lawyers messed up a basic work sheet?noIn early 2005, Emily Owens was halfway through her Ph.D. thesis in economics at the University of Maryland. Her topic: the deterrence effect of long prison sentences. She had just received data from the Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy on tens of thousands of cases that had appeared in the state's courts over the previous years, cases she hoped would help her close out her dissertation. But as she started working through the numbers, she came across thousands of inconsistencies and errors in the sentencing recommendations provided to judges.* The errors ultimately translated into extra months and years of prison time for unlucky convicts and light sentences for lucky ones. What might have been a run of the mill economic analysis of crime and punishment turned into a shocking account of human error.truenotochyperlinkno2009102293113AMThursdayOctOctober910/22/2009 1:31:13 PM6339180067300000002009102293113AMThursdayOctOctober910/22/2009 1:31:13 PM633918006730000000the dismal science400 Percent APR: Is That Good?Ray FismanfalseDo people take out payday loans because they're desperate, or because they don't understand the terms?no400 Percent APR: Is That Good?Do people take out payday loans because they're desperate, or because they don't understand the terms?noThere's been a lot of finger-pointing lately about who is to blame for the untenable financial circumstances of many American families. Among the usual suspects—Wall Street quants, fly-by-night mortgage brokers, the households themselves—none is an easier target than payday lenders. These storefront loan sharks are portrayed by their detractors as swindlers preying on the desperation and ignorance of the poor. A payday backlash is already well underway—Ohio recently passed legislation capping interest rates at 28 percent per year, and the Military Personnel Act limits interest charged to military personnel and their families to 36 percent. The average payday loan has an annual interest rate of more than 400 percent.truenotochyperlinkno200972212702PMWednesdayJulJuly137/22/2009 5:27:02 PM633838660220000000200972212702PMWednesdayJulJuly137/22/2009 5:27:02 PM633838660220000000the dismal scienceIt's Like eBay Meets Match.comRay FismanfalseDoes peer-to-peer lending work?noIt's Like eBay Meets Match.comDo peer-to-peer lending sites like Prosper and Lending Club work?noBack in 2007, it took little more than a steady pulse to get a loan, albeit a subprime one, from credit officers eager to push loans out the door. Now that the real estate bubble has gone bust, a steady job and 20 percent down is scarcely enough to persuade banks to lay out for a mortgage, home repairs, or anything else.truenotochyperlinkno2009630121839PMTuesdayJunJune126/30/2009 4:18:39 PM6338196111900000002009630121839PMTuesdayJunJune126/30/2009 4:18:39 PM633819611190000000the dismal scienceA Formula for SuccessRay FismanfalseWant more women to study science? Hire more female professors.noA Formula for SuccessWant more women to study science? Hire more female professors.noThe soon-to-be-completed leadership succession at Xerox from Ann Mulcahy—a woman—to Ursula Burns—also a woman—is one for the record books. It will be the first woman-to-woman transition at a Fortune 500 company, and Burns is the first African-American woman to take the helm of any such corporation.truenotochyperlinkno20096571900AMFridayJunJune76/5/2009 11:19:00 AM63379783140000000020096571900AMFridayJunJune76/5/2009 11:19:00 AM633797831400000000200311442548PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:25:48 PM631781583480000000200311442548PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:25:48 PM631781583480000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue20011018111443PMThursdayOctOctober2310/19/2001 3:14:43 AM631390436830000000200324112658AMTuesdayFebFebruary112/4/2003 4:26:58 PM631799548180000000