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National Bureau of Economic Research

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Conducting and disseminating nonpartisan economic research

[Business Cycle Dating Information](/research/business-cycle-dating)[New This Week / Working Papers](https://www.nber.org/papers#listing-77041)

### Latest from the NBER

#### A research summary from the monthly NBER Digest

[

](/digest/202503/highway-construction-costs-during-great-recession-evidence-texas)

#### [Highway Construction Costs During the Great Recession: Evidence from Texas](/digest/202503/highway-construction-costs-during-great-recession-evidence-texas)

article

In 2009, responding to the so-called Great Recession, the federal government initiated a stimulus program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), that included infrastructure spending. The state of Texas used this funding to improve highways. It reaped a double benefit: the spending helped buoy its economy and the state completed projects more efficiently and at lower cost than in pre-recession times. In 2009, ARRA funding accounted for 38 percent of the total value of highway contracts awarded in Texas.

In [Highway Procurement During the Great Recession and Stimulus](https://www.nber.org/papers/w33299) (NBER Working Paper 33299), researchers [Dakshina G. De Silva](https://www.nber.org/people/dakshina_de_silva?page=1&perPage=50) and [Benjamin Rosa](https://www.nber.org/people/benjamin_rosa?page=1&perPage=50) find that the recession...

#### From the NBER Reporter: Research, program, and conference summaries

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](/reporter/2024number4/economics-transformative-ai)

#### [The Economics of Transformative AI](/reporter/2024number4/economics-transformative-ai)

article

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) may usher in the most significant economic transformation since the Industrial Revolution. For nearly a decade, as I witnessed the continuous progress in deep learning, I have been studying the economics of transformative AI — how our economy may be transformed as AI systems advance toward mastering all forms of cognitive work that can be performed by humans, including new tasks that don’t even exist yet. The prospect of understanding the strange new world we will inhabit when transformative AI is developed has felt both intellectually urgent and personally meaningful to me as a father of two young children.

Today, AI systems are approaching and exceeding human-level performance in many domains, and it looks increasingly like our world will be transformed before…

#### From the NBER Bulletin on Retirement and Disability

[

](/brd/20244/health-inequality-and-economic-disparities-race-ethnicity-and-gender)

#### [Health Inequality and Economic Disparities by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender](/brd/20244/health-inequality-and-economic-disparities-race-ethnicity-and-gender)

article

In [Health Inequality and Economic Disparities by Race, Ethnicity, and Gender](https://www.nber.org/papers/w32971) (NBER Working Paper 32971 an earlier version, NBER RDRC Paper NB23-11), [Nicolò Russo](https://www.nber.org/people/nicolo_russo), [Rory McGee](https://www.nber.org/people/rory_mcgee?page=1&perPage=50), [Mariacristina De Nardi](https://www.nber.org/people/mariacristina_denardi), [Margherita Borella](https://www.nber.org/people/margherita_borella), and [Ross Abram](https://www.nber.org/people/ross_abram) use data from the Health and Retirement Study over the period 1996–2018 to evaluate measures of health inequality in middle age and the consequences of such health disparities. 

They consider two health measures: self-reported health status, measured by the response to a survey question that asks individuals to rate their health as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor, and...

#### From the NBER Bulletin on Health

[

](/bh/20243/digital-health-technology-and-patient-outcomes)

#### [Digital Health Technology and Patient Outcomes](/bh/20243/digital-health-technology-and-patient-outcomes)

article

Digital health technologies, such as remote monitoring devices and telemedicine services, have attracted considerable interest due to their potential to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. These innovations could, however, exacerbate health disparities if adoption rates are lower among underserved communities.

In [Equity and Efficiency in Technology Adoption: Evidence from Digital Health](https://www.nber.org/papers/w32992) (NBER Working Paper 32992), researchers [Itzik Fadlon](https://www.nber.org/people/itzik_fadlon), [Parag Agnihotri](https://www.nber.org/people/parag_agnihotri), [Christopher Longhurst](https://www.nber.org/people/christopher_longhurst), and [Ming Tai-Seale](https://www.nber.org/people/ming_taiseale) analyze a remote...

#### From the NBER Bulletin on Entrepreneurship

[

](/be/20242/third-places-boost-local-economic-activity)

#### [“Third Places” Boost Local Economic Activity](/be/20242/third-places-boost-local-economic-activity)

article

Sociologists have argued that “third places” like cafés, which provide opportunities for individuals to socialize and exchange ideas outside of home and work, improve neighborhood life. But what about the relationship between such places and economic activity? In [Third Places and Neighborhood Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Starbucks Cafés](https://www.nber.org/papers/w32604) (NBER Working Paper 32604), researchers [Jinkyong Choi](https://www.nber.org/people/jinkyong_choi), [Jorge Guzman](https://www.nber.org/people/jorge_guzman), and [Mario L. Small](https://www.nber.org/people/mario_small) use data on US business registrations between 1990 and 2022 from the Startup Cartography Project to examine whether the opening of a Starbucks in a neighborhood with no previous cafés affects local entrepreneurship...

### Featured Working Papers

[Black Veterans and Civil Rights after World War I](/papers/w33460)

March 6, 2025

Black men who were inducted into the Army during World War I as a result of a draft lottery, and especially those who experienced discriminatory treatment in the military, were significantly more likely to join the nascent NAACP and to become prominent community leaders in the New Negro era, according to data analysis by [Desmond Ang](https://www.nber.org/people/desmundo) and [Sahil Chinoy](https://www.nber.org/people/sahilchinoy). 

[The Therapeutic Consequences of World War II](/papers/w33457)

March 5, 2025

[Daniel P. Gross](https://www.nber.org/people/daniel_gross) and [Bhaven N. Sampat](https://www.nber.org/people/bhaven_sampat) find that research areas supported by the US Committee on Medical Research during World War II experienced rapid growth in postwar scientific discoveries. 

[Childbirth and the Performance of Woman-Owned Firms](/papers/w33448)

March 4, 2025

After childbirth, female-owned businesses in Norway experience a substantial decline in profits, steadily decreasing to 30 percent below baseline after ten years, while male-owned businesses show no drop, [John Bonney](https://www.nber.org/people/john_bonney), [Luigi Pistaferri](https://www.nber.org/people/luigi_pistaferri), and [Alessandra Voena](https://www.nber.org/people/alessandra_voena) find.

[Infant Mortality and Industrial Lead Pollution](/papers/w33447)

March 3, 2025

[Karen Clay](https://www.nber.org/people/karen_clay), [Edson R. Severnini](https://www.nber.org/people/edson_severnini), and [Xiao Wang](https://www.nber.org/people/xiao_wang_1)’s study the decline in “fugitive” lead emissions by industrial plans between 2015 and 2018.  They find that the decline in unintentional emissions reduced infant deaths in affected counties and generated annual benefits of at least $380 in 2023 dollars.

[Did the Modern Mortgage Set the Stage for the US Baby Boom?](/papers/w33446)

February 28, 2025

By facilitating homeownership among young families, the Federal Housing Administration and Veteran’s Administration mortgage insurance programs led to three million additional births from 1935–57, or roughly 10 percent of excess births during the 1946–64 baby boom, [Lisa J. Dettling](https://www.nber.org/people/lisadettling) and [Melissa Schettini Kearney](https://www.nber.org/people/melissa_kearney) find.

[View all](/nber-news/featured-working-papers-archive?page=1&perPage=50)

### In the News

_Recent citations of NBER research in the media  

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[Mental health crisis 'means youth is no longer one of happiest times of life' - The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/03/youth-mental-health-crisis-happiness-un-uk-us-australia)

March 3, 2025

Source: [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/03/youth-mental-health-crisis-happiness-un-uk-us-australia)

[Read the research here](/papers/w33490).

[How cheaper mortgages gave us the baby boomers - and what it means for today's baby bust](https://www.businessinsider.com/getting-mortage-downpayment-housing-helped-raise-birth-rates-baby-boomers-2025-3)

March 2, 2025

Source: [Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/getting-mortage-downpayment-housing-helped-raise-birth-rates-baby-boomers-2025-3)

[Read the research here](/papers/w33446).

[Using Policy and Innovation to Improve Lifesaving Access to Naloxone](https://www.cato.org/research-briefs-economic-policy/using-policy-innovation-improve-lifesaving-access-naloxone)

February 26, 2025

Source: [Cato Institute](https://www.cato.org/research-briefs-economic-policy/using-policy-innovation-improve-lifesaving-access-naloxone)

[Read the research here](/papers/w33105).

[The Future Of B2B Technology: How Agentic AI Can Optimize Outcomes - Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/02/25/the-future-of-b2b-technology-how-agentic-ai-can-optimize-outcomes/)

February 25, 2025

Source: [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/02/25/the-future-of-b2b-technology-how-agentic-ai-can-optimize-outcomes/)

[Read the research here](/papers/w31161). [Or a non-technical summary here](/digest/20236/measuring-productivity-impact-generative-ai).

[Why We Cannot Afford To Leave Mental Health Conditions Untreated](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2025/02/18/why-we-cannot-afford-to-leave-mental-health-conditions-untreated/)

February 18, 2025

Source: [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2025/02/18/why-we-cannot-afford-to-leave-mental-health-conditions-untreated/)

[Read the research here](/papers/w32354).

[View all](/nber-news/nber-research-news)

Research Projects

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[A General Synthetic Control Framework of Estimation and Inference](/programs-projects/projects-and-centers/7372-general-synthetic-control-framework-estimation-and-inference)

Project

[State Social Policy Interventions for Maternal Mental Health](/programs-projects/projects-and-centers/8505-state-social-policy-interventions-maternal-mental-health)

Project

[The Impact of AI and Digitization on Labor Markets for High-Skill Workers](/programs-projects/projects-and-centers/economics-digitization/8347-impact-ai-and-digitization-labor-markets-high-skill-workers)

Project

[Climate Finance](/programs-projects/projects-and-centers/8771-climate-finance)

Project

[Graduate and Early Career Fellowships, Fiscal and Economic Effects of Innovation and Productivity Policies](/programs-projects/projects-and-centers/8750-graduate-and-early-career-fellowships-fiscal-and-economic-effects-innovation-and-productivity)

Project

[More NBER Research Projects](/projects)

Conferences

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[Economics of Transformative AI Workshop, Fall 2025](/conferences/economics-transformative-ai-workshop-fall-2025)

Conference

Organizer(s): [Ajay K. Agrawal](/people/ajay_agrawal), [Anton Korinek](/people/anton_korinek) & [Erik Brynjolfsson](/people/erik_brynjolfsson)

[Development Economics / BREAD Program Meeting, Fall 2025](/conferences/development-economics-bread-program-meeting-fall-2025)

Conference

Organizer(s): [Benjamin A. Olken](/people/benjamin_olken) & [Seema Jayachandran](/people/seema_jayachandran)

[Climate Finance, Fall 2025](/conferences/climate-finance-fall-2025)

Conference

Organizer(s): [Caroline Flammer](/people/caroline_flammer) & [Stefano Giglio](/people/stefano_giglio)

[Economics of Race and Stratification, Fall 2025](/conferences/economics-race-and-stratification-fall-2025)

Conference

Organizer(s): [Trevon D. Logan](/people/trevon_logan)

[Economics of Talent Meeting, Fall 2025](/conferences/economics-talent-meeting-fall-2025)

Conference

Organizer(s): [Glenn Ellison](/people/glenn_ellison), [Ruchir Agarwal](/people/ruchir_agarwal) & [Patrick Gaulé](/people/patrick_gaule)

[Explore Conferences](/conferences)

Books & Chapters

----------------

Through a partnership with the University of Chicago Press, the NBER publishes the proceedings of four annual conferences as well as other research studies associated with NBER-based research projects.

[The Economics of Artificial Intelligence: Political Economy](/books-and-chapters/economics-artificial-intelligence-political-economy)

Book

[Distributional Consequences of New Energy Technologies and Policies](/books-and-chapters/distributional-consequences-new-energy-technologies-and-policies)

Book

[The Work-from-Home Shock to Labor Markets](/books-and-chapters/work-home-shock-labor-markets)

Book

[Inflation in the COVID Era and Beyond](/books-and-chapters/inflation-covid-era-and-beyond)

Book

[The Economics of Place-Based Policies](/books-and-chapters/economics-place-based-policies)

Book

[Explore Books & Chapters](/books-and-chapters)

Videos

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Recordings of presentations, keynote addresses, and panel discussions at NBER conferences are available on the [Videos](https://nber.org/node/758387/) page.

[Resilience in Supply Chains, Fall 2024](/research/videos/resilience-supply-chains-fall-2024)

Video

Supported by the US Department of Homeland Security through a subaward from the Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense (CBTS), a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, at Texas A&M University grant #...

[Economics of Transportation in the 21st Century Fall 2024](/research/videos/economics-transportation-21st-century-fall-2024)

Video

Supported by the US Department of Transportation through an interagency agreement with the National Science Foundation grant #2315269

[2024, Nicole Maestas, "Disability Insurance 101"](/research/videos/2024-nicole-maestas-disability-insurance-101)

Workshop

SlidesSupported by the Social Security Administration grant #RDR2300006

[2024, Gopi Shah Goda, "Retirement 101: Social Security and the US Retirement System"](/research/videos/2024-gopi-shah-goda-retirement-101-social-security-and-us-retirement-system)

Workshop

SlidesSupported by the Social Security Administration grant #RDR2300006

[2024, Economics of Artificial Intelligence Keynote, Tiff Macklem, "Artificial Intelligence, the Economy and Central Banking"](/research/videos/2024-economics-artificial-intelligence-keynote-tiff-macklem-artificial-intelligence-economy-and)

Video

Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant #G-2023-19618, Microsoft , and TD Management and Data Analytics Lab

[Explore Videos](/research/videos)

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