No Dumb Ideas

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Cap and trade, but for rent control
Is an out of fashion climate change policy the answer to New York’s housing woes? Find out in NDI’s first foray into policy entrepreneurship.
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The Big Idea: A marketplace for legacy admissions
Legacy is a real advantage in applying to college, but not everybody wants to go to their parents' alma mater. What if we turned that inherited…
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The big idea: A personal IPO
Individuals don't have many opportunities to leverage their personal equity. What would it look like if they could?
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Afterlife economics: Ghost marriage and the future of grief
The first in an occasional series thinking about the intersection of society, economics, and death.
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The big idea: A job you can buy and sell
Finding a job is hard enough. What if you had to buy in to your next role?
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The Big Idea: An ETF that buys lottery tickets
Are lottery tickets the ultimate alternative asset?
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Betting on the Pope was the original prediction market
500 years before Polymarket, the Vatican fought to stop gambling on papal affairs. Should we worry that it’s back?​​​​​​​​​​​​
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The big idea: Career insurance for professional catastrophes
Sometimes people make mistakes at work. Why can't you insure against the downside?
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The big idea: Charge $1 to apply to a job (hear me out)
A serious look at adding a paywall to your job application
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The big idea: an insurance policy for your fare evasion fines
You will go to jail if you try this, but it's interesting to think about
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The big idea: Turn lobbying into a high-stakes financial market
A big idea that aligns incentives and sort-of encourages bribery
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