News Bureau

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The causes of the foreclosure crisis seem obvious: Buyers purchased homes they couldn't afford, lured in part by lenders pushing subprime mortgages. Real estate values escalated, and when the bubble burst, buyers were left owing more than their homes were worth.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Although they share some important similarities, religious organizations, such as churches, that file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection differ from small business debtors in two significant ways - they seek to preserve the "going-concern value" of the organizations themselves, and their members are more integral to their successful reorganizations, says a new study by a University of Illinois law professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The resolution of a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act could have complicated tax consequences for same-sex couples, a University of Illinois expert on taxation and retirement issues says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A little-noticed provision of the Affordable Care Act requires all chain restaurants and retail food establishments with 20 or more locations to list calorie counts on their menus. But according to research co-written by a University of Illinois agricultural economist, numeric calorie labels might not be the most effective way to influence patrons to select "healthier" (often interpreted as lower-calorie) items.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A comparison of public sector workers in Illinois with their peers in the private sector shows a general wage and salary penalty for state and local government employees, according to research by a University of Illinois labor expert.

A Minute With™... Ravi S. Gajendran, a professor of business administration

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Recent efforts by Nevada and New Jersey legalizing some forms of online gambling could create virtual casinos on social media websites such as Facebook, a leading national gambling critic says.

A Minute With™... C.K. Gunsalus, a professor emerita of business administration

A Minute With™... Seung-Hyun Hong, a professor of economics

A Minute With™... finance professor Jeffrey R. Brown

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When a person living in the U.S. without legal permission or suspected of doing so is involved in a work-related lawsuit, most courts disregard their immigration status when determining remedies, says a study from a University of Illinois expert in labor relations.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Ever wonder why CEOs at poorly performing companies continue to receive exorbitant pay packages? According to a study from a University of Illinois labor professor, firms that trumpet how much they value shareholders actually pay their CEOs more, regardless of the quality of their performance as executives.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A retailer's optimal store layout is the result of balancing the interests of two different types of markets - consumers and suppliers, says new research co-written by a University of Illinois business professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The increase in the speed of stock trading from microseconds to nanoseconds leads to an increase in order cancellation, but little else of value to investors and the public, says research by a University of Illinois business professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Negative media coverage may prompt firms to engage in greater levels of strategic change than previously thought, according to research by a University of Illinois business professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Although major battles over spending cuts and raising the federal debt limit have been punted for another two months, the fiscal-cliff bill passed by Congress settles most of the significant tax issues that would have an immediate and direct impact on the average taxpayer's pocketbook, a University of Illinois expert on taxation and retirement issues says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Legalizing online poker as proposed by two leading U.S. senators would be a boon to terrorist networks and organized crime syndicates, says a leading national gambling critic.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - While it might be hard to imagine in the midst of the ad-soaked holiday season, there was a time - in the 1930s - when advertising faced fierce opposition from the public.

A Minute With™... Robert Bruno,  a professor of labor and employment relations

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Frontline employees will commit to improving their organization if they perceive a high degree of autonomy in their jobs and trust their leaders, says research from University of Illinois business professors.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Adopting a loser-pays-all rule for criminal litigation would likely be feasible only if the rule applied to defendants who are wealthy, says a study from a University of Illinois law professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Employees who are more satisfied with their pay report lower levels of work-family conflict, a study by a University of Illinois labor and employment relations professor shows.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A new book from a University of Illinois business professor aims to help those new to the working world avoid the common (and mostly predictable) workplace pitfalls that can often derail promising careers.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The car wash industry that operates year-round in Chicago is rife with wage and hour law violations, occupational health and safety hazards, and poor overall working conditions, according to research from a University of Illinois labor expert.

The UI Flash Index for September increased slightly to 103.2 from its 102.9 level in August. This continues the pattern of slow, steady growth over the last year.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A little-publicized amendment to the Illinois Constitution on this November's ballot could have a big impact on the pensions and health care of state workers if Illinois voters approve it, a University of Illinois expert in legal policy says.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Federal law ought to play a stronger role in regulating social networking sites by allowing users to determine what happens to their "digital afterlives," says a recently published paper by a University of Illinois expert in intellectual property law.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Long mandatory minimum sentences or strong limits on judicial discretion can counter-productively reduce the incentives of prison inmates to engage in rehabilitative behavior, thereby raising recidivism rates, according to published research co-written by a University of Illinois economics professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In a time of record-high food insecurity rates in the U.S., cutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (the former Food Stamp Program) is the wrong approach to fighting hunger, says a University of Illinois economist who studies the efficacy of food assistance programs on public health.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - College football exploits players in an "invisible labor market," and the only plausible way for student-athletes to address their interests is the credible threat of unionization, according to research from a University of Illinois expert in labor relations and collective bargaining in athletics.

A Minute With™... Richard L. Kaplan, a law professor and expert on taxation and retirement issues

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Various misconceptions surrounding the continued viability of Medicare can be debunked or discredited, making it more important than ever for voters and policymakers to fully understand the program's existing contours and limitations, according to a paper published by a University of Illinois expert on retirement benefits.

A Minute With™... Gary D. Schnitkey, an agricultural economist

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A study from University of Illinois economics professors demonstrates a new method to analyze the relationships among voters' issue preferences, the candidates' policy positions and voter behavior.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The male response to depictions of ideal masculinity in advertising is typically negative, which has implications for advertisers and marketers targeting the increasingly fragmented consumer demographic, according to research from a University of Illinois marketing expert.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A study co-written by a University of Illinois business professor shows that higher wages are associated with lower levels of employee theft, shedding light on the impact that compensation practices have on shaping employee honesty and ethical norms in organizations.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A combination of more federal revenue and less government spending is imperative in order to avoid pushing an already weak economy over the edge, warns a University of Illinois business professor.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Consumers may revel in the convenience of online shopping, but the low prices on the Internet are often accompanied by even lower product quality, warns new research co-written by a University of Illinois business professor.

A Minute With™... Joseph L.C. Cheng, a professor of business

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Joseph Martocchio, a University of Illinois professor of labor and employment relations, has been named interim dean of the School of Labor and Employment Relations, pending approval by the U. of I. Board of Trustees at the July board meeting in Chicago.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The threat of hunger among senior citizens in the U.S. is a growing crisis that will likely lead to additional public health challenges, says a University of Illinois economist who studies the efficacy of food assistance programs on public health.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - New research by a University of Illinois expert who studies process management points to the potential role of regulatory oversight in preventing deterioration of operational routines that are used to complete day-to-day tasks in business organizations.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The unilateral efforts of a single country or region to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases could reduce exports, increase imports and lead to higher emissions elsewhere - what economists call "leakage." Unilateral efforts could, however, work better if other sources of energy were used as substitutes, thereby creating "negative leakage," according to research by University of Illinois energy policy experts.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Springfield's plan to slash nearly $1.4 billion from the state's Medicaid program will ultimately result in bigger medical (and financial) problems for low- and middle-income senior citizens and their families, says a University of Illinois elder law expert.

A Minute With™... Angela Lyons, a professor of agricultural and consumer economics and the director of the Center for Economic and Financial Education

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The sound of silence isn't so golden for consumers, and both marketers and advertisers should take note, says new research from a University of Illinois expert in new product development and marketing.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - While climate change is likely to alter the spatial distributions of species and habitat types, the nature of those changes is uncertain, making it more difficult for conservationists to implement standard planning models. Research from applied economists at the University of Illinois shows that adapting a theory from the world of finance could help to optimize conservation activities.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The College of Business at the University of Illinois honored its students in April.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A new study from the University of Illinois concludes that learning-by-doing, stimulated by increased ethanol production, played an important role in inducing technological progress in the corn ethanol industry. It also suggests that biofuel policies, which induced ethanol production beyond the free-market level, served to increase the competitiveness of the industry over time.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The claim that Chicago public school teachers aren’t working enough hours during the school day is unwarranted at best and intellectually dishonest at worst, according to research from a University of Illinois labor expert.