Tag: economics

  • MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: Latest News and Research Highlights

    MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences: Latest News and Research Highlights

    The MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) continues to drive interdisciplinary research and education, with recent stories highlighting faculty appointments, groundbreaking studies, and community engagement. Below is a roundup of notable updates from the school.

    Faculty and Leadership

    David Autor, a leading researcher in artificial intelligence and the future of work, has been named head of the Department of Economics. A faculty member since 1999, Autor’s work has shaped policy debates on automation and labor markets.

    Research and Innovation

    In Ghana, new research reveals how semi-communal ‘compound houses’ influence political participation, demonstrating architecture’s impact on civic engagement. Meanwhile, MIT’s AI and Society Forum explored the societal impacts of AI on employment and democracy, bringing together top researchers to address critical questions.

    PhD student Chelsea Mitchell studies the economic forces shaping shipping ports, crucial for global supply chains. Thomas Levenson’s new book traces the long history of vaccine hesitancy, offering context for current public health debates. Innovative projects funded by MIT’s Climate Project are tackling extreme heat with low-cost cooling and emissions-free air conditioning.

    Community and Global Reach

    MIT Open Learning reaches the South Pole, where John Della Costa uses OpenCourseWare to engage fellow Antarctica ‘winterovers’ in physics and build community. The MIT Ethics of Computing Research Symposium highlighted the human component in computing and AI. Professor Sonya Atalay, a leader in community-based archaeology, links local knowledge with academic inquiry globally.

    A new study shows that a locally adjusted policy with tradeable offsets and taxes can preserve wetlands without halting development. The Living Climate Futures Symposium explored community-level climate challenges and solutions. Eleven MIT affiliates accepted 2026 Fulbright awards for research and teaching abroad.

    Rankings and Recognition

    QS ranked MIT the world’s No. 1 university for the 15th consecutive year, placing first in 12 subject areas. The Institute also featured in Scientific American for its role in curiosity-driven science.

    For more stories, visit the MIT News SHASS page.

  • J-PAL: How MIT’s Poverty Action Lab Drives Evidence-Based Policy to Fight Global Poverty

    J-PAL: How MIT’s Poverty Action Lab Drives Evidence-Based Policy to Fight Global Poverty

    The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Founded by Nobel laureates, J-PAL uses randomized evaluations to test the effectiveness of social programs and scale up solutions that work.

    Recent Highlights

    • Innovative projects explore ways to deal with extreme heat — Low-cost personal cooling and emissions-free air conditioning among ideas studied with MIT’s Climate Project seed funding (June 2026).
    • New J-PAL research and policy initiative to test and scale AI innovations to fight poverty — Project AI Evidence connects governments, tech companies, and nonprofits with world-class economists to evaluate AI solutions (February 2026).
    • “MIT Open Learning has opened doors I never imagined possible” — Munip Utama applies knowledge from the MITx MicroMasters Program in Data, Economics, and Design of Policy to support students in Indonesia (January 2026).
    • A new lens on humanity — The inaugural MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC) Annual Event showcased projects supported in the first year of the presidential initiative (January 2026).
    • Introducing the MIT-GE Vernova Climate and Energy Alliance — Five-year collaboration to accelerate the energy transition (November 2025).
    • Climate Action Learning Lab — Helps state and local leaders implement effective climate mitigation strategies using data and evaluation (September 2025).
    • J-PAL North America launches Initiative for Effective US Crime Policy (IECP) — Generating rigorous evidence for fair public safety solutions (August 2025).
    • Better public service with data — MIT master’s student and Brazilian diplomat Davi Augusto Oliveira Pinto applies data-driven policymaking (August 2025).
    • Study in India shows several tactics together boost vaccination against deadly diseases — One combination led to a 44% increase in child immunizations (May 2025).
    • New Alliance for Data, Evaluation and Policy Training (ADEPT) — Advances data-driven decision-making in public policy (March 2025).
    • From refugee to MIT graduate student — Mlen-Too Wesley applies lessons from an MITx MicroMasters to help Liberia thrive (December 2024).
    • J-PAL North America announces new evaluation incubator collaborators — LEVER collaborators develop evaluations of poverty-alleviation programs (November 2024).
    • Groundbreaking poverty alleviation project expands — Collaboration with Arnold Ventures to reduce poverty and increase economic mobility in the US (July 2024).
    • How a quantum scientist, a nurse, and an economist are joining the fight against global poverty — The MITx MicroMasters program educates learners worldwide (June 2024).

    Through rigorous research and training, J-PAL continues to shape policies that improve millions of lives around the world.