Economy + Business - The Conversation

Various medical supplies arrayed in a neat rectangle, a stack of $100 bills on the bottom right corner

Various medical supplies arrayed in a neat rectangle, a stack of $100 bills on the bottom right corner

Clinical trials that are actually marketing ploys targeting doctors – how seeding trials put profit over patients

Sukhun Kang, University of California, Santa Barbara; Ivan Lin, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Sungyong Chang, Cornell University

Rows of wine bottles are displayed on shelves with a sign that say U.S. products are no longer available at this Canadian store

Rows of wine bottles are displayed on shelves with a sign that say U.S. products are no longer available at this Canadian store

Canada is kicking its US booze habit as trade tensions persist

Andrew Muhammad, University of Tennessee

Thousands of employed Colorado workers need SNAP benefits to make ends meet

Jennifer C. Greenfield, University of Denver

People in orange vests stand under tents with bags of produce.

People in orange vests stand under tents with bags of produce.

AI data center boom is leaving consumer electronics short of chips − even though they don’t use the same kinds

Vidya Mani, University of Virginia; Cornell University

an irridecent rainbow pattern reflects off a shiny surface covered with repeated patterns of rectangles of various sizes

an irridecent rainbow pattern reflects off a shiny surface covered with repeated patterns of rectangles of various sizes

Supreme Court considers how much states can protect consumers when federal agencies won’t

Sarah J. Morath, Wake Forest University

Plastic containers of the Roundup weed killer sit on a store shelf.

Plastic containers of the Roundup weed killer sit on a store shelf.

So your new ‘co-worker’ is an AI agent – here’s how to make the best of your human-machine relationship

Nigel Melville, University of Michigan

A man wearing glasses and blue work shirt, facing away, shakes hand of a white robot at a desk.

A man wearing glasses and blue work shirt, facing away, shakes hand of a white robot at a desk.

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Iran war and the economy

A person stands between a gas pump and a vehicle, with gas prices of $4.29 for a gallon of regular displayed in the background.

A person stands between a gas pump and a vehicle, with gas prices of $4.29 for a gallon of regular displayed in the background.

What’s in the price of a gallon of gas?

Robert I. Harris, Georgia Institute of Technology

War in the Middle East made the case for renewables – what’s happening in each country tells a harder story

Ezgi Canpolat, Harvard University

An aerial view of a very large array of solar panels in a desert.

An aerial view of a very large array of solar panels in a desert.

UAE’s OPEC exit has been long in the works – and may mark the beginning of a Gulf realignment

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

A man in traditional Emirati dress looks out to a large oil pipeline.

A man in traditional Emirati dress looks out to a large oil pipeline.

Global supply chains cause environmental harm, but they can help repair it too

Minelle Silva, University of Manitoba; Jia Yen Lai, Monash University, and Lee Matthews, University of Nottingham

Factory chimneys sending up smoke

Factory chimneys sending up smoke

Hormuz closure threatens the global food supply – why grocery price hikes are coming

Aya S. Chacar, Florida International University

A tractor spreads fertilizer on a field.

A tractor spreads fertilizer on a field.

Read more about the war in Iran

Economics

An image of Amazon's AI shopping assistant, Rufus, appears on a computer monitor to greet shoppers at a store in New York City.

An image of Amazon's AI shopping assistant, Rufus, appears on a computer monitor to greet shoppers at a store in New York City.

What we lose when artificial intelligence does our shopping

Mark Bartholomew, University at Buffalo and Samuel Becher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Food aid doesn’t make people loafers – research shows government benefits help low-income people find jobs

Claudia Strauss, Pitzer College

A woman holds a cabinet door open in her modest kitchen.

A woman holds a cabinet door open in her modest kitchen.

25 million people lost Medicaid after the COVID-19 pandemic — and state policies shaped who stayed covered

Aparna Soni, Indiana University

Health care provider and mom help toddler try on a stethoscope

Health care provider and mom help toddler try on a stethoscope

Signs of economic instability emerge in Oakland County, one of Michigan’s wealthiest

Grigoris Argeros, Eastern Michigan University and Jordyn Gerwig, Eastern Michigan University

Cars drive on street in a downtown district.

Cars drive on street in a downtown district.

Sorry, Tampa Bay, mixed-use districts don’t reverse the dismal economics of sports venues

J.C. Bradbury, Kennesaw State University

illustration of a stadium surrounded by trees, businesses and high rises

illustration of a stadium surrounded by trees, businesses and high rises

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Business

A Slack icon, with its trademark blue, green, yellow and red pattern, is displayed against a dark screen with a message notification on its upper right.

A Slack icon, with its trademark blue, green, yellow and red pattern, is displayed against a dark screen with a message notification on its upper right.

Perseverance doesn’t always pay off for companies – sometimes it’s better to ‘fail fast’

Scott Friend, University of Dayton and Kumar Rakesh Ranjan, EDHEC Business School

Hosting the NFL draft is less about weekend beer sales and more about long-term brand value

Tim Derdenger, Carnegie Mellon University

An aerial shot shows a packed football stadium with a city skyline in the background.

An aerial shot shows a packed football stadium with a city skyline in the background.

What I learned from analyzing 789 ‘Shark Tank’ pitches: Narcissists get funding if they’re not arrogant or defensive

Paul Sanchez Ruiz, Iowa State University

3 men and 2 women in formal clothes sit in chairs in front of tables on a big stage

3 men and 2 women in formal clothes sit in chairs in front of tables on a big stage

Cannabis legalization spurs innovation, but not always in ways that benefit patients or public health

Lucy Xiaolu Wang, UMass Amherst and Nathan W. Chan, UMass Amherst

Person in gloves, hair net, white coat and nitrile gloves examining cannabis plants

Person in gloves, hair net, white coat and nitrile gloves examining cannabis plants

Why women in groups face a ‘collaboration penalty’ that solo female stars like Taylor Swift and Coco Gauff escape

David Hekman, University of Colorado Boulder and Mallory Decker, University of Colorado Boulder

Two WNBA Indiana Fever guards, Layshia Clarendon and Shenise Johnson, try to stop Minnesota Lynx guard Renee Montgomery from scoring at a WNBA basketball game.

Two WNBA Indiana Fever guards, Layshia Clarendon and Shenise Johnson, try to stop Minnesota Lynx guard Renee Montgomery from scoring at a WNBA basketball game.

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Work

Woman sits at table with eyes closed and fingers on temples

Woman sits at table with eyes closed and fingers on temples

Workplace relief is coming for employees with symptoms of menstruation, perimenopause and menopause in Philly

Ann Juliano, Villanova University

For the nearly 1 in 4 US adults with chronic pain, employers’ expectations of a healthy body can lead to shame

Beth Schinoff, University of Delaware and Elana Feldman, UMass Lowell

Businesswoman whose neck is hurting sits at a desk at work.

Businesswoman whose neck is hurting sits at a desk at work.

Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket

Jim Franklin, Western Governors University School of Business

A hand holds an envelope with a check from the US treasury inside.

A hand holds an envelope with a check from the US treasury inside.

Family-friendly workplaces are great − but ‘families of 1’ get ignored

Peter McGraw, University of Colorado Boulder

A woman works at a laptop in an office.

A woman works at a laptop in an office.

Denmark’s generous child care and parental leave policies erase 80% of the ‘motherhood penalty’ for working moms

Alexandra Killewald, University of Michigan

A woman in a parka leans over a child who is wearing a knit cap.

A woman in a parka leans over a child who is wearing a knit cap.

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Finance

An illustration photo displays the Twitter and Instagram logos as well as a silhouetted image of a person holding a smart phone.

An illustration photo displays the Twitter and Instagram logos as well as a silhouetted image of a person holding a smart phone.

How personal finance advice is getting political, thanks to ‘finfluencers’

Maximilian Brichta, University of Virginia

What oil, stocks and bonds are telling us about the Iran conflict and how long it might last

Daniele D'Alvia, Queen Mary University of London

a trader at the new york stock exchange studies prices on a monitor after the opening bell on monday.

a trader at the new york stock exchange studies prices on a monitor after the opening bell on monday.

SpaceX and OpenAI IPOs are unlikely to bring skyrocketing returns that Amazon and Apple did, as companies go public later in life and early investors cash out

Brad Badertscher, University of Notre Dame

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from a pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from a pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida

How polling failures, gambling legalization and political gridlock paved the way for the explosive rise of prediction markets

Parker Bach, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hands hover over a crystal ball depicting digital share prices.

Hands hover over a crystal ball depicting digital share prices.

International aid groups are dealing with the pain of slashed USAID funding by cutting staff, localizing and coordinating better

Sarah Stroup, Middlebury College and Jennifer Hadden, Brown University

A man holds a sack of rice with USAID branding on it while speaking to other people.

A man holds a sack of rice with USAID branding on it while speaking to other people.

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Philanthropy and nonprofits

Two men stand at a lectern with an official U.S. seal emblazoned upon it.

Two men stand at a lectern with an official U.S. seal emblazoned upon it.

Trump administration’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center breaks with norms – and may lack evidence of criminal wrongdoing

Beth Gazley, Indiana University

Why Americans give: New research finds 5 distinct profiles for generosity

George E. Mitchell, Baruch College, CUNY

In illustration of a diverse array of people who are standing, talking and doing work.

In illustration of a diverse array of people who are standing, talking and doing work.

Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists jumped to $22.4B in 2025 − Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the estate of Paul Allen lead a list of the biggest givers

David Campbell, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Hans Peter Schmitz, North Carolina State University, and Lindsey McDougle, Rutgers University - Newark

Two men in suits talk while sitting on a bench with athletes milling around in the background.

Two men in suits talk while sitting on a bench with athletes milling around in the background.

With less charitable giving flowing directly to charities, a tax policy scholar suggests some policy fixes

Ray Madoff, Boston College

boat in the sea with island of dollars, money falling from the sky. 3d render

boat in the sea with island of dollars, money falling from the sky. 3d render

Getting $750 a month didn’t end homelessness – but our study shows it still improved the lives of homeless people

Benjamin F. Henwood, University of Southern California

A homeless man lies on the sidewalk, next to artistic graffiti.

A homeless man lies on the sidewalk, next to artistic graffiti.

Read more about philanthropy and nonprofits

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