We use a randomized field experiment to estimate a causal effect of part-time recruitment on labor productivity by identifying worker selection as a mechanism and using worker-level productivity data. In recruiting for data entry work in Ethiopia, we identify 6,236 eligible women and randomly assign them to part-time or full-time job opportunities. We find ... Read More

Would the affected communities voluntarily obtain herd immunity if a cure for COVID-19 becomes available? The conventional wisdom says “no” because of the fact that an individual's decisions does not take into account its positive externality to others, i.e., if you get a vaccine, you are improving the chance that other will get sick. That is why people ... Read More

With the increasing demands for innovation and adaption, organizations need employees not in formal leadership roles to take initiatives and exhibit informal leadership among their peers. Prior research has focused on “who” may behave as informal leaders but largely overlooked “when” individuals practice informal leadership. Very little is known about what ... Read More

Financial analysts are important information intermediaries in capital markets. Traditional research outputs of analysts, such as buy/sell recommendations and EPS forecasts, have been the mainstream focus of market participants. In recent years, analyst forecasts of capital expenditures (capex) have become increasingly prevalent—roughly 70 percent of the US ... Read More

Innovating firms face a choice whether to patent its innovation or keep it as a trade secret. US National Science Foundation’s Business R&D and Innovation Survey in 2013 found that 41% R&D-doing firms find patents important and 67% find trade secrets important. Firms might consider that information disclosed in a patent is only imperfectly protected by the ... Read More

Moment marketing is a rich new area of contextual advertising that entails the ability to synchronize online advertising (e.g., sponsored search) in real time with relevant offline events such as TV ads. Although 81% of surveyed digital marketers have launched moment marketing campaigns mostly using TV advertising as trigger events, very little is known ... Read More

How much should we discount our products or services? Many online sellers offer deep discounts to attract consumers. This is especially the case in online markets where the sellers are often less known to consumers. The question is whether such a promotional tactic helps the sales. It defeats the sellers’ advertising or promotional purposes if the discounts ... Read More