The offer substantially increased application (68 percent versus 26 percent) and enrollment rates (27 percent versus 12 percent). The results suggest that uncertainty, present bias, and loss aversion loom large in students' college decisions.

A large-scale experiment tested an early commitment of free tuition at a flagship university. The intervention did not increase aid: rather, students were guaranteed before application the same grant aid that they would qualify for in expectation if admitted.

High-achieving, low-income students attend selective colleges at far lower rates than upper-income students with similar achievement. Complexity and uncertainty in the admissions and aid process explain this gap according to an AER: aeaweb.org/articles?id=10…

This JEP finds that rising college selectivity may not be as pervasive as many imagine. Only the top 10 percent of colleges were substantially more selective in 2007 than they were in 1962. It would be interesting to see an updated analysis: pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdf/10.125…

This overview on the literature on the worth of a college education finds that it’s certainly worth it on average and for many subgroups as well. annualreviews.org/content/journa…

Motivated by the large differences in labor market outcomes across college majors, this paper surveys the literature on the demand for and return to high school and post-secondary education by field of study: annualreviews.org/content/journa…

Economics in The Age of Big Data in .Science Magazine science.sciencemag.org/content/346/62…

This is why I think America's urban future is 'gentle density' -- duplexes, townhomes, and low-rises in the 'burbs, coffee shops and grocery stores sprinkled through suburban neighborhoods, and commuter rail stations that suburbanites can bike to.

Motivated by the large differences in labor market outcomes across college majors, this paper surveys the literature on the demand for and return to high school and post-secondary education by field of study: annualreviews.org/content/journa…

This overview on the literature on the worth of a college education finds that it’s certainly worth it on average and for many subgroups as well. annualreviews.org/content/journa…

New Jersey has higher population density (487/km²) than Denmark (139/km²) and New York State (159/km²) higher than France (118/km²)

This article in Nature is on the design of a liquid that behaves as both a solid and a fluid owing to the presence of tiny gas-filled capsules. An unusual statistical relationship between pressure and volume is what enables it to grasp fragile objects. nature.com/articles/d4158…

Cool animations, simulations and assets for the fast food sector: