THIS week's interesting economics research:

• Credit ratings and credit risk (Jens Hilscher and Mungo Wilson)

• City unplanning (David Schleicher)

• The human capital imperative (Nick Schulz)

• Globalization, entrepreneurship and the region (David Audretsch, Isabel Grilo, and Roy Thurik)

• How exports matter (David Audretsch, mark Sanders, and Lu Zhang)

• Noisy information, distance and law of one price dynamics across US cities (Mario Crucini, Mototsugu Shintani, and Takayuki Tsuruga)