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Black and white headshot of author Livia Gershon

Livia Gershon

Livia Gershon is a freelance writer in Nashua, New Hampshire. Her writing has appeared in publications including Salon, Aeon Magazine and the Good Men Project. Contact her on Twitter @liviagershon.

A father and mother holding their toddler between them
Business & Economics

What’s the Return on Investment for Having a Kid?

Raising kids is expensive. What do parents get in return?
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Education & Society

Does Lobbying Really Help Corporations?

Analysis found that big lobbying doesn't necessarily go together with big profits.
Rear view of large group of students at university amphitheater.
Education

Scholarly Advice for Potential New Undergrads

Some counterintuitive advice for students.
An office worker packing up the contents of their desk into a cardboard box
Business

Should Smoking Pot Get You Fired?

The Supreme Court of Colorado, where marijuana use is now legal, is considering whether workers can be fired for smoking pot outside of working hours.
Students at a shared desk working independently
Education

Undocumented at College

The effects of allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition rates at their state colleges and universities.
Cupped hands holding grain
Business & Economics

Why Growing More Food Won’t Stop Hunger

Hunger is still a major issue. At the same time, the world produces twice as much food as it needs.
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
Art & Art History

Homes of The River Gods: The History of American Mansions

Mansions hold a special place in the American imagination, and dates back to colonial days.
Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell reads to children at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story Child Development Center.
Politics & Government

The Public Wife: Is Maureen McDonnell to Blame for Her Husband’s Downfall?

Maureen McDonnell was found guilty, along with her husband, Gov. Bob McDonnell. What role do spouses have in political scandals?
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Business

The Many Meanings of McDonalds

McDonalds means different things in different places.
Close-up of individual tapping a smart phone
Business

How will Apple Pay Change Our Lives? Ask a Kenyan.

Cell phones have transformed the economic lives of people in Africa in all sorts of ways.
MacArthur Fellow Jennifer L. Eberhardt poised to give an interview
Politics & Government

MacArthur Fellow Jennifer L. Eberhardt Shines Light on Racism and Criminal Justice

Social psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt has won a MacArthur fellowship for her research in criminal justice reform.
A restaurant check left with a few dollars
Business

Economists Investigate Why We Tip

The economic research behind the history of tipping
Chassy of a modern automobile
Business

Tesla Motors and the ‘Great American Jobs Scam’

Electric car maker Tesla Motors announced it would build a huge battery factory in Nevada. What does research tell us about tax subsidies?
Close-up of hands typing on a laptop
Business

Seven Ways Online Advertising May Change the World

Late last month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon plans to roll out its own online advertising ...
Close-up of circuit board
Science & Technology

The Origins of Silicon Valley

Some scholarly sources behind the origins of Silicon Valley and the tech sector
A landscape of NYC's overlapping buildings and skyscrapers with the addition of even more new construction.
Business & Economics

Can Mayor de Blasio Save Affordable Housing in NYC? Can Anyone?

de Blasio’s plan suggests just how overwhelming the housing issue is in New York: the most ambitious plan ever may address only a fraction of the problem.
wealth discrepancy in USA
Business & Economics

Does the Rise of the 1% Signal the Fall of Democracy?

Americans have been thinking more about economic haves and have-nots than we have in a long time.
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Education

Campus Hookup Culture: Myth vs. Reality

Hookup culture on American college campuses has become a predictable subject for magazine articles and op-eds. It might be time to shift the debate.

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