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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.

Photo of an A test grade.
Education

What’s a Test Score Worth?

Are any standardized tests really useful?
Line of prefabricated homes
Business

The Stigma of Prefab Homes

The Wall Street Journal reports that million-dollar prefab homes are a growing trend in Europe
Rows of elementary students working diligently on their assignment
Education

Challenges Beyond the Classroom: Poverty, Race and Educational Achievement

Levels of educational achievement in the U.S. are deeply connected with race & income levels.
A student puts her head in her hands as she looks down at the assignment in front of h
Education

Is Common Core Doomed?

Is there still hope for Common Core Standards? And what will make them effective?
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Education

Does Common Core Math Work?

(This is the first post in a four-part series about Common Core) Why is my kid’s math homework ...
Application for New Car Loan
Business

Usury in Historical Perspective

The Journal of Business Ethics present debates around lending and usury that go back to the beginnings of human history.
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Politics & Government

Debating Welfare Way Before George Will

The debate over welfare goes back surprisingly far.
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Business & Economics

Does Global Inequality Matter?

Is income inequality still a pressing global issue?
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Business

Pinterest and Hairspray: Marketing “girly” stuff to men

Marketing any product that's been branded as "feminine" to men has long been a tough task.
Couple holding house keys and looking very happy
Politics & Government

What If Home Ownership Were Not Part of the American Dream?

Is home ownership a requirement for adulthood in America? As far back in 1938, some have argued to change that mindset.
A waitress serves patrons at an upscale restaurant
Business & Economics

What is Emotional Labor Worth?

Emotional labor is a concept that sociologist Arlie Hochschild developed in the 1983 book The Managed Heart.
Scattered hundred dollar bills
Politics & Government

A Fight About Taxing the Wealthy, a Century-Old Debate

The debate about how much of the government's money should come from the rich is a conversation that goes back more than 100 years.
A student learns at home with a caretaker close at hand
Education

‘Traditional Values’ Meet New Technology in the Home Schooling Movement

Michael W. Apple traces both the growth of home schooling and its related political activism to virtual communities made possible by the Internet.
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Business

The Birth (and Death?) of Modern Corporations

To imagine the end of modern corporations as we currently know them, it helps to go back to their birth.
A group of elementary school aged students working on an assignment together
Education

Tackling Racism in School Discipline

Skyline High School in Oakland, California addressed serious racial disparities in school discipline, with students leading the way.
The top of a government tax return form
Business & Economics

Why Everyone Thinks They’re a Victim of Tax Policy

The House of Representatives recently agreed to extend some business tax breaks retroactively into 2014. But the Wall ...
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Arts & Culture

Why Go to the Movies?

In 2014, attendance at the movies hit its lowest level in two decades.
A casual business meeting
Business

Maybe Entrepreneurs Don’t Like Risk Much After All

Research shows that entrepreneurs are surprisingly resistant to risk.
Flags of the United Nations flying
Politics & History

What are International Goals Good For?

As the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, created in 2000, approaches, we look at papers that explore the impact of international goals.
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Business & Economics

Quantitative Research in 2015, as Imagined in 1990

If you want to get some perspective how much quantitative research has changed in the past few decades, try going back to 1990.
The White House
Business

Introverts at the Office—and the Oval Office

Did introversion harm Presidents Nixon and Carter's ability to perform on the job?
Financial Hardship Application
Politics & History

Is the “Culture of Welfare Dependency” Real?

Welfare dependency theories often point to a weakening of "traditional values of individualism, freedom and self-determination,"
Shelf of law text books
Education

The Origins of American Law Schools

When did law schools become a fixture in the training of elite Americans?
A man and woman look over a work report on a staircase
Business

Employee Morale Campaigns: The Early Years

Intensive studies of workers' moods to improve business performance goes back more than 75 years.
A mall decorated for Christmas
Business & Economics

The Demographics of U.S. Holiday Gift-giving

In a 1991 paper for the Journal of Consumer Research studied the effects of income, family size, and other demographic differences on gift-giving patterns.