Business

A wildfire rages in the mountains above a city in California.

The burning of California

Experts from the Wharton School’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center discuss the California wildfires, why people underprepare for disasters, and what individuals and governments can do to prevent wildfires in the future.

Greg Johnson ・

Entrance to the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services building.

How immigrants expand the U.S. economy

Wharton’s J. Daniel Kim discusses his research, which draws on census data to draw an accurate picture of immigration and entrepreneurship in the U.S.

From Knowledge@Wharton ・

Person standing outside in front of trees and flowers hiding an iron fence.

Experiencing the pandemic from abroad

When rising junior Julia Mitchell learned in March that France was about to shut down, she decided to immerse herself further in the language rather than come home, quarantining with her homestay family and finishing courses remotely.

Michele W. Berger ・



In the News


Marketplace (NPR)

AI is reshaping the way we buy, sell and value homes

Christopher Geczy of the Wharton School was interviewed about digital advancements in real estate. “The advent of computer technology, especially with respect to artificial intelligence—computer vision—is that it can compare what it sees to hundreds of thousands of other examples for reference points,” he said. “The scale of the intelligence can potentially add where humans can potentially lack.”

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Associated Press

Mars drops Uncle Ben’s, reveals new name for rice brand

Americus Reed II of the Wharton School spoke about the recent Uncle Ben’s rice rebrand and efforts to redefine who “Ben” is. “You don’t want to step in it twice,” Reed said. “I think what you might see is a very watered-down, safe creativity. Let’s not step on anyone’s toes. You’ll see that for a while.”

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The New York Times

50 years of blaming Milton Friedman. Here’s another idea

Research by Tyler Wry of the Wharton School found that companies that signed a revised Business Roundtable statement about corporations’ obligations to employees and the broader world were more likely than other big companies to lay off staff in the early months on the pandemic.

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“The Pulse,” (WHYY Radio)

Is your boss spying on you while you work remotely?

Julia Ticona of the Annenberg School for Communication said the pandemic has contributed to an escalation of worker surveillance.

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Reuters

U.S. airlines isolated in bid to scrap change fees forever

It’s likely that U.S. airlines will reinstate waived flight-change fees once demand returns, said John Zhang of the Wharton School. “This isn’t a forever kind of thing.”

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Money

When will it get easier to buy a home? 8 experts on the nation’s housing shortage

Susan Wachter of the Wharton School offered her take on the U.S. housing market, which she believes will continue to see low inventory and high demand.

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