“Planet Money’s Top 5 Economics Papers from the Super Bowl Event”

Bassyonni

Published: February 3, 2026 9:32 AM ET

The annual gathering of the American Economic Association (AEA) recently took place in Philadelphia, drawing economists from across the globe. This event is akin to a Super Bowl for economics enthusiasts, where critical questions about the field are debated, and innovative research is presented. Economists tackled pressing issues such as economic opportunities in the U.S. and the impact of the pandemic on inflation. Here are some significant research papers highlighted at the conference.

Planet Money’s Top 5 Economics Papers from the Super Bowl Event

1. The Productivity J-Curve of AI Adoption

A noteworthy paper titled “The Rise of Industrial AI in America” was authored by Kristina McElheran, Mu-Jeung Yang, Zachary Kroff, and Erik Brynjolfsson. It investigates how adopting AI technologies affects firm productivity. The research indicates an initial decline in productivity, termed a “J curve,” followed by eventual gains.

Collaboration with the Census Bureau used data from 2017-2021.
Productivity dropped by up to 44% during the adjustment phase.
Newer firms benefited more from AI adoption.

2. Long-term Benefits from Wartime Research Investments

In the paper by Dan Gross and Bhaven Sampat, titled “The Therapeutic Consequences of War,” the authors examine the lasting impacts of World War II-era research funding. The U.S. government invested in medical research to support soldiers, leading to significant advancements in biomedicine.

The Committee on Medical Research developed vital medical innovations like penicillin.
The effects of this investment continued to influence scientific discoveries for decades.

3. GDPR’s Influence on Clinical Trials

A study by Sukhan Kang and Jennifer Kao titled “Data Privacy Regulation and Innovation” assesses how the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affects pharmaceutical innovation. The regulation poses challenges for data sharing, essential for medical research.

Total clinical trials decreased by 18% post-GDPR.
Smaller firms faced more difficulties due to increased compliance costs.

4. Consumer Costs of Tariffs

The research paper by Omar Barbiero and Hillary Stein, “The Contribution of Imports to Consumer Prices,” explores how tariffs on intermediate goods affect final consumer prices. Their findings reveal that consumers ultimately bear the costs of these tariffs.

The study specifically addresses the impact of 2018 tariffs.
They found consumers are significantly affected by the complexities of tariffs.

5. Effects of Minimum Wage Increases on Workers with Cognitive Disabilities

Barry Chiswick and colleagues analyzed the impacts of minimum wage increases in their paper “Effects of the Minimum Wage on Employment of Young Adults with Cognitive Disabilities.” Notably, they found that increased minimum wages correlated with a decrease in employment for adults with cognitive disabilities.

A $1 increase in minimum wage resulted in a 2.5% to 5.1% employment decrease for this group.
Factors influencing this outcome include competition and potential loss of assistance programs.

The findings shared at the AEA conference offer valuable insights into the evolving landscape of economics, providing a glimpse into future developments in the field. As these studies continue to resonate, they contribute to our understanding of both current and long-term economic phenomena.