Publications

March 2013
Article

The Client Is King: Do Mutual Fund Relationships Bias Analyst Recommendations?

By: Michael Firth, Chen Lin, Ping Liu and Yuhai Xuan

This paper investigates whether the business relations between mutual funds and brokerage firms influence sell-side analyst recommendations. Using a unique data set that discloses brokerage firms' commission income derived from each mutual fund client as well as the... View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Decision Choices and Conditions; Investment Funds

Article

Information or Opinion? Media Bias as Product Differentiation

By: Bharat Anand, Rafael Di Tella and Alexander Galetovic

Keywords: Information; Media; Prejudice and Bias; Product

2025
Article

Humor as a Window into Generative AI Bias

By: Roger Samure, Julian De Freitas and Stefano Puntoni

A preregistered audit of 600 images by generative AI across 150 different prompts explores the link between humor and discrimination in consumer-facing AI solutions. When ChatGPT updates images to make them “funnier”, the prevalence of stereotyped groups changes. While... View Details

Keywords: AI and Machine Learning; Demographics; Prejudice and Bias

05 Jul 2006
Working Paper Summaries

Analyst Disagreement, Forecast Bias and Stock Returns

Keywords: by Anna Scherbina; Financial Services

December 2024
Article

Human Bias in the Oversight of Firms: Evidence from Workplace Safety Violations

By: Jonas Heese, Gerardo Pérez Cavazos and Andreya Pérez Silva

We study the effects of mood as a source of human bias on regulators’ oversight and enforcement decisions. We use weather at facilities at the time of an OSHA inspection to proxy for the OSHA compliance officers’ mood. We find that during periods of good mood due to... View Details

Keywords: Prejudice and Bias; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Happiness; Working Conditions; Safety

01 Apr 2019
What Do You Think?

Does Our Bias Against Federal Deficits Need Rethinking?

scanrail SUMMING UP: Is Modern Monetary Theory a Fancy Term for Today’s Reality? Modern monetary theory (MMT) is “silly thinking” (Andy), “a totally unproven theory” (Alex), a “free lunch” (John), and “questionable economics for certain” (Tat88). Or, it’s a recognition... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Sep 1979
Conference Presentation

Insecurity Begets Negativity: A Bias in Interpersonal Evaluation

By: Teresa M. Amabile

Keywords: Behavior; Emotions; Prejudice and Bias

17 Oct 2018
Research & Ideas

Pro Basketball Coaches Display Racial Bias When Selecting Lineups

best players—or using your best workers” “Racial bias is costly,” says Zhang, who speculates the findings could apply equally in a number of business contexts. “When you favor somebody because of their race, you are not playing your best... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Sports

13 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

The Color of Private Equity: Quantifying the Bias Black Investors Face

Black venture capital and growth investors have a much harder time getting funding than white investors, because—despite efforts to bring more racial diversity to financial services—private equity’s gatekeepers remain mostly white, according to new research. Very few... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds; Financial Services

December 2007
Article

Bias in Jury Selection: Justifying Prohibited Peremptory Challenges

By: Michael I. Norton, Samuel R. Sommers and Sara Brauner

01 Apr 2008
Working Paper Summaries

No Harm, No Foul: The Outcome Bias in Ethical Judgments

Keywords: by Francesca Gino, Don A. Moore & Max H. Bazerman

February 2010
Article

Conflict of Interest and the Intrusion of Bias

By: Don A. Moore, Lloyd Tanlu and Max Bazerman

This paper presents evidence of performance persistence in entrepreneurship. We show that entrepreneurs with a track record of success are much more likely to succeed than first-time entrepreneurs and those who have previously failed. In particular, they exhibit... View Details

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Prejudice and Bias; Performance; Entrepreneurship; Market Timing; Competency and Skills; Perception; Business Startups; Resource Allocation

25 Jul 2016
Working Paper Summaries

Bias in Official Fiscal Forecasts: Can Private Forecasts Help?

Keywords: by Jeffrey A. Frankel and Jesse Schreger

2016
Working Paper

Bias in Official Fiscal Forecasts: Can Private Forecasts Help?

By: Jeffrey A. Frankel and Jesse Schreger

Government forecasts of GDP growth and budget balances are generally more over optimistic than private sector forecasts. When official forecasts are especially optimistic relative to private forecasts ex ante, they are more likely also to be over optimistic relative to... View Details

Keywords: Forecasting and Prediction; Macroeconomics

Article

Choice Architects Reveal a Bias Toward Positivity and Certainty

By: David P. Daniels and Julian Zlatev

Biases influence important decisions, but little is known about whether and how individuals try to exploit others’ biases in strategic interactions. Choice architects—that is, people who present choices to others—must often decide between presenting choice sets with... View Details

Keywords: Nudges; Biases; Strategic Decision Making; Social Influence; Choice Architects; Choice Architecture; Reflection Effect; Certainty Effect; Loss Aversion; Decision Making; Risk and Uncertainty; Power and Influence

Article

The BIAS Map: Behaviors from Intergroup Affect and Stereotypes.

By: A.J.C. Cuddy, S.T. Fiske and P. Glick

Keywords: Behavior; Groups and Teams; Attitudes