Education

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek can help students solve problems, explain concepts, and polish their writing within seconds. This creates a productivity gain: students can complete assignments faster, with better scores. But in school, completing these tasks is not the goal; learning from them is. In a recent survey conducted by

Students with the same test score can have considerably different academic ranks depending on their school peers. Using data from the Mexico City metropolitan area, this column examines how differences in relative academic ranks in elementary school affect later cognitive and noncognitive outcomes. Among students with similar third-grade scores, those with higher academic ranks performed

Since 2010, a growing proportion of doctoral graduates have been taking jobs outside academia. This column explores where elite early-career economists work, using a dataset covering all PhD graduates from US economics programmes. The findings revealt that recent elite PhD graduates are more likely to leave academia, to take jobs outside the US, and to

As digital, environmental, and demographic transformations reshape labour markets, skills influence who benefits from these changes and who falls behind. Lifelong learning therefore becomes a policy priority to counterbalance such inequalities. Beyond narrower objectives like employability and productivity, lifelong learning can contribute to good working conditions, lasting innovation, inclusive societies, and active citizenship. Yet, recent

The 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act raises the federal tax on private university endowment income sharply, with the top rate of 8% falling on schools holding more than $2 million in assets per student. Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale face this maximum rate. Coming on top of cuts to federal research funding and

Dementia affects an estimated 6 million Americans, and is the leading cause of neurological disability and the third leading cause of overall disability among older adults (over 65 years). Employment near retirement age appears to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, which is a key precursor to dementia (Coe et al. 2012, Bonsang and Perelman

Soaring rents, long waiting lists, and mounting political anger are forcing governments across Europe to address gaps in social housing provision. This column examines whether new homes can also transform children’s futures, by looking at outcomes for families that were randomly selected to move into the Olympic Village in Athens after the Games had finished.