Economy + Business - The Conversation

Woman stands in a bakery looking self-confident.

A federal program helps older people get jobs, but the Trump administration wants to get rid of it

Cal J. Halvorsen, Washington University in St. Louis; Ernest Gonzales, New York University, and Nancy Morrow-Howell, Washington University in St. Louis

Two people in businesswear are photographed from above shaking hands. They are sitting at a table covered with architectural plans, documents and cups of coffee.

A first connection can make a big difference when it comes to sticking with a career

Soon Hyeok Choi, Rochester Institute of Technology

American capitalism is being remade by state power

H. Sami Karaca, Boston University

How to help disabled and neurodivergent people flourish while working from home

Christine Grant, Coventry University

man wearing headphones working from home with a laptop

No credit history? No problem − new research suggests shopping data works as a proxy for creditworthiness

Joonhyuk Yang, University of Notre Dame and Jung Youn Lee, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

Trump’s push to fire Fed governor threatens central bank independence − and that isn’t good news for sound economic stewardship (or battling inflation)

Ana Carolina Garriga, University of Essex and Cristina Bodea, Michigan State University

Economics

Inequality has risen from 1970 to Trump − that has 3 hidden costs that undermine democracy

Nathan Meyers, UMass Amherst

The rule of law is key to capitalism − eroding it is bad news for American business

Robert Bird, University of Connecticut

A photo illustration shows the scales of justice in silhouette in front of a backdrop made of dollar bills.

Zimbabwe’s lithium is in demand for making batteries: how to make sure benefits flow to the local economy

Jabulani Shaba, University of Groningen

A large open pit in the landscape, terraced, dusty, with no plants

Extreme weather alerts can move markets – here’s what investors can learn from our new research

Styliani Panetsidou, Coventry University and Angelos Synapis, Coventry University

jack-knifed lorry stranded in flood water

When developing countries band together, lifesaving drugs become cheaper and easier to buy − with trade-offs

Lucy Xiaolu Wang, UMass Amherst and Nahim Bin Zahur, Queen's University, Ontario

Illustration of debossed globe with longitude and latitude lines, pill capsules filling the circumference

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Business

For America’s 35M small businesses, tariff uncertainty hits especially hard

Peter Boumgarden, Washington University in St. Louis and Dilawar Syed, The University of Texas at Austin

How Europe’s deforestation law could change the global coffee trade

Paul Mwebaze, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Counterfeit Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermès bags from China: examining an online phenomenon and its risks for consumers

Isabelle Chaboud, Grenoble École de Management (GEM)

A display of counterfeit bags bearing the logos of the biggest names in luxury goods.

Caution in the C-suite: How business leaders are navigating Trump 2.0

Erran Carmel, American University Kogod School of Business and Joseph Garbowski, American University

Donald Trump and Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins sit before an audience at the Business Roundtable headquarters in Washington D.C.

Rethinking the MBA: Character as the educational foundation for future business leaders

Andrew J. Hoffman, University of Michigan

Businessman using laptop with icons of MBA degree education, graduation cap, target, career growth, book, learning, goal setting, development.

Work

Abstract picture of silhouettes, evoking diversity.

Complying with Trump administration’s attack on DEI could get employers into legal trouble

Deborah Widiss, Indiana University; Rachel Arnow-Richman, University of Florida; Stephanie Bornstein, Loyola Law School Los Angeles, and Tristin Green, Loyola Law School Los Angeles

Why do so many American workers feel guilty about taking the vacation they’ve earned?

Karen Tan, Middle Tennessee State University

A desk in an office featuring a phone and computer monitor in the foreground, with a calendar hanging on the wall with one week marked off in red text that reads 'Vacation.'

Trump administration has proven no friend to organized labor, from attacking federal unions to paralyzing the National Labor Relations Board

Jake Rosenfeld, Washington University in St. Louis

From intention to impact: 3 ways men in leadership can build equitable workplaces that work for everyone

Lisa Kaplowitz, Rutgers University; Colleen Tolan, Rutgers University, and Olivia Foster-Gimbel, Rutgers University

Business people have a meeting around a table in a modern office.

When workers’ lives outside work are more fulfilling, it benefits employers too

Louis Tay, Purdue University

A man in an office building in a city works late at night, when it's dark out.

Finance

I’ve studied faiths and cultures around the world. Here’s how finance can be made more inclusive and sustainable

Atul K. Shah, City St George's, University of London

plant growing out of a pile of coins in someone's hands

Decentralized finance is booming − and so are the security risks. Here are the most common mistakes

Mingyi Liu, Georgia Institute of Technology

African countries shouldn’t have to borrow money to fix climate damage they never caused – economist

Carlos Lopes, University of Cape Town

A protest of about 100 people holding placards stating "Honor climate finance pledges" and "Droughts, Floods, Hunger, Displacement are the new trend in Africa!"

Rating agencies and Africa: the absence of people on the ground contributes to bias against the continent

Misheck Mutize, University of Cape Town

Lit-up bridge across water, against an evening sky

Philanthropy and nonprofits

Before celebrating big gifts, charities must watch out for fake donors

Sarah Webber, University of Dayton

A group of dressed-up people pose for a photo.

US has slashed global vaccine funding – if philanthropy fills the gap, there could be some trade-offs

Amy E. Stambach, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bill Gates leans over a baby held by a woman in a bright yellow shirt.

Trump’s ‘big’ bill offers a new charitable tax break, but will it help nonprofits?

Daniel Hungerman, University of Notre Dame

Dollar bills float randomly around the U.S. Capitol building.

Charitable giving grew to $593B in 2024, buoyed by a booming stock market

Jon Bergdoll, Indiana University and Christina Daniken, Indiana University

A portrait of the late actor Paul Newman is seen in a corridor.