The Digest

Parental matchmaking in China often leads to relationships that economically and emotionally favor the parents relative to the young couples. Those who have gone through the sometimes arduous mating ritual know that it's not always a case of romantic love at first sight. Some might even argue that the idea of a parental matchmaker intervening, as is common in some cultures to this day, might have its merits. In Love, Money, and Parental Goods: Does Parental...

Using neighborhood socioeconomic status rather than race to achieve racial diversity increases the academic 'cost' of promoting diversity. In the wake of Supreme Court rulings frowning on race-based admissions policies, Chicago's elite public high schools switched to using the socioeconomic condition of prospective students' neighborhoods to achieve diversity in their student bodies. The approach reflects guidelines issued by the federal government following the...

Yes, but this may reflect excessive admission of those who are privately insured rather than under-admission of those who are publicly insured. Children covered by private health insurance are more likely to be admitted to the hospital after a visit to the emergency room than children covered by a public health plan, such as Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program. This is the conclusion of Diane Alexander and Janet Currie's study, Are Publicly...