Oil prices rose sharply prior to the onset of the 2007–2009 recession. Hamilton [in the <italic>Palgrave Dictionary of Macroeconomics</italic> (2008)] noted that nine of the last ten recessions in the United States were preceded by a substantial increases in the price of oil. In this paper, we consider whether...

type="main" <title type="main">ABSTRACT</title> <p>Much of the literature examining the effects of oil shocks asks the question “What is an oil shock?” and has concluded that oil-price increases are asymmetric in their effects on the U.S. economy. That is, sharp increases in oil prices affect economic activity adversely,...</p>

Although Americans appear to be spending less time on the job than they were a hundred years ago, there's some question as to whether they have more leisure time.

The ranks of women in the workforce jumped by more than 24 percentage points between 1955 and 1999. Credit labor-saving devices at home (such as the dishwasher), the birth-control pill and the preference by some men to marry a woman who works outside the home.

One study shows that Kenya and Hakim might have more trouble getting their resumes noticed than Allison and Brad do. But another study indicates that distinctively African-American names don't lead to worse economic outcomes in adulthood.

If you've long suspected that the boss rewards not just hard work but good looks, you're right, based on research into the impact of beauty, weight and height on wages.

Workers are switching jobs more often than in the past. Among the reasons are changes in technology, changes in demographics and changes in such institutions as unions and international trade.

Numerous commentaries have questioned both the legality and appropriateness of Federal Reserve lending to banks during the recent financial crisis. This article addresses two questions motivated by such commentary: 1) Did the Federal Reserve violate either the letter or spirit of the law by...