• 2025
• Working Paper

We study the welfare consequences of choice architecture for online privacy using a field experiment that randomizes cookie consent banners. We study three ways in which firms or policymakers can influence choices: (1) nudging users through banner design to encourage acceptance of cookie tracking; (2) setting defaults when users dismiss banners; and (3) implementing consent decisions at the website versus browser level. Absent design manipulation, users accept all cookies more than half of the time. Placing cookie options behind extra clicks strongly influences choices, shifting users toward more easily accessible alternatives. Many users dismiss banners without making an explicit choice, underscoring the importance of default settings. Survey evidence further reveals substantial confusion about default settings. Using a structural model, we find that among consent policies requiring site-specific decisions, consumer surplus is maximized when consent interfaces clearly display all options and default to acceptance in the absence of an explicit choice. However, the welfare gains from optimizing banner design are much smaller than those from adopting browser-level consent, which eliminates the time costs of repeated decisions.

• 2025
• Working Paper

Fundamental knowledge in the life sciences has consequential implications for medicine and subsequent medical innovations. Using publications in leading life science journals to measure fundamental knowledge, we document large agglomerations in the institutions where it is discovered and a robust correlation between knowledge and subsequent citations in patents. We assess whether the institution where research is produced affects the output of scientists by using a scientist-mover design, which compares annual research output before and after a move for the same scientist. Between 50 60% of a scientist’s research output is attributable to the institution where they work, and two thirds of this effect is driven by the presence of star researchers. The magnitude of these effects has not decreased in more recent time periods, in the wake of technologies that make cross-institution collaborations easier, nor is it larger for moves to larger agglomerations, nor concentrated in particular scientific fields. We discuss the implications of these findings for research allocations in science and scientists’ leaving one institution for another.

• July 2025
• Case

After two decades of research, Dr. Michael Abramoff successfully launched LumineticsCore—the first autonomous AI system authorized by the FDA to diagnose diabetic retinopathy without physician oversight. The case traces his journey across algorithm design, clinical validation, regulatory navigation, and the challenges of real-world adoption. It explores the interplay between technological innovation and healthcare institutions, highlighting the need to establish evaluation metrics grounded in clinical outcomes rather than physician consensus. As adoption lags despite regulatory approval, Abramoff faces decisions about which operational, reimbursement, and trust-building barriers to prioritize—decisions that may shape not only LumineticsCore’s future but also the broader path of AI in medicine.