Use of genetically engineered (GE) corn varieties can lead to better output. A National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper by Jayson L. Lusk from Purdue University and co-authors has found this using data from 28,000 observations for corn from 800 counties in the US during 1980 and 2015. The authors find that differences in weather conditions and soil quality can affect yields in different places. GE crops are also more likely to mitigate risks from weeds and insects. However, they have not led to an increase in heat or water resistance of crops. The authors add a caveat that future improvements in GM technology could change these results. The paper also says that not accounting for soil and weather-related factors might have led to divergence in results about gains from GE crops in earlier research.
Promotions can often become a tool by which bosses promote those who are similar to themselves, according to a new NBER paper by George Akerlof and Pascal Michaillat of Georgetown University and Brown University. The authors develop a mathematical model to study the outcome of favouritism and bias in promotions, and especially the role that such biases can have in developing scientific truth. In the case of scientists, bias against scientists representing new scientific paradigms can be manifested through the denial of tenure. The authors find that continued advancement in science can be attributed to the fact that high-powered tests which demonstrate a scientist’s calibre have prevented the rise of bias in promotions. Read More....
Promotions can often become a tool by which bosses promote those who are similar to themselves, according to a new NBER paper by George Akerlof and Pascal Michaillat of Georgetown University and Brown University. The authors develop a mathematical model to study the outcome of favouritism and bias in promotions, and especially the role that such biases can have in developing scientific truth. In the case of scientists, bias against scientists representing new scientific paradigms can be manifested through the denial of tenure. The authors find that continued advancement in science can be attributed to the fact that high-powered tests which demonstrate a scientist’s calibre have prevented the rise of bias in promotions. Read More....