Business, Economics and Innovation

In a new study, Shradha Bindal, assistant professor of finance at the University of Kansas, investigates the speed with which U.S. firms shut down their headquarters because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that the political orientation of the firms and their CEOs proved the most significant factor.

The University of Kansas ranked 37th among public institutions in the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2024, a list published by the National Academy of Inventors. The list showcases universities that play a pivotal role in advancing the innovation ecosystem and driving economic growth in the United States. KU ranked 59th among all universities.

The Care Board, a project that gathers information on care work, which often goes unnpaid, done every day in the American economy is now live. The site can help journalists, policymakers, communities, nonprofits and the public better understand the influence care work has on the American economy.

In a new book, William Barnett, the Oswald Distinguished Professor of Macroeconomics at the University of Kansas, provides a unified presentation of his contributions to the literature on chaos, economic bifurcation and nonlinear dynamics. The span of the book’s research begins in 1988 with Barnett’s initial finding of chaos in economic data.

In a new study focusing on financial markets, William Bazley, assistant professor of finance at the University of Kansas, finds that sleep disruptions following spring daylight saving time clock shifts may negatively affect the forecast quality of the professional analysts — but it depends on their level of experience.

In a new paper, Elizabeth Embry, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Kansas, offers a theory linking health effects of trauma to performance outcomes at work, suggesting how managerial awareness of trauma manifestations is a necessary step toward workplaces becoming supportive or healing.

In a new paper, Murali Mantrala, the Ned Fleming Professor of Marketing at the University of Kansas, finds that crowdsourced forecasts from ordinary customers are more accurate than those of expert fashion buyers. The research also determines an ideal crowd size and composition for predicting demand for fashion items in retail buying decisions.

Streetcar systems that prioritized taking people to highly desired locations tended to outperform those whose goals were economic development, a new University of Kansas study shows. Understanding this goal tension can help future systems meet public needs.

In a new paper, Jack Zhang, assistant professor of political science at the University of Kansas, finds that heightened political risks from the U.S.-China trade war increased firm exits by 34%. His study highlights the collateral damage tariffs can cause in an age of global value chains.

The Kansas Statistical Abstract 2023 is now available online. This data compendium is published annually by the Institute for Policy & Social Research at KU. It includes information on a wide range of topics about Kansas, with information in downloadable tables, maps and graphs.