Economy + Business - The Conversation

Two white men wearing hard hats examine a piece of paper in their hands at a construction site

Two white men wearing hard hats examine a piece of paper in their hands at a construction site

How Trump’s repeated efforts to fire Federal Reserve Chair Powell harm the economy – and make battling inflation harder

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

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.

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

Industries most exposed to AI are not only seeing productivity gains but jobs and wage growth too

Christos Makridis, Arizona State University; Institute for Humane Studies

a person holds a stylus against a tablet computer in front of a screen showing numbers in red and green

a person holds a stylus against a tablet computer in front of a screen showing numbers in red and green

Health care sticker shock has become the norm, but talking to your doctor about costs can help you rein it in

Helen Colby, Indiana University and Deidre Popovich, Texas Tech University

A doctor wearing a white medical coat talks with a patient in a striped sweater.

A doctor wearing a white medical coat talks with a patient in a striped sweater.

What if Texas’ destructive Tax Day storm had centered on inner Houston instead? It’s why cities should plan for the improbable

James R. Elliott, Rice University; Dominic Boyer, Rice University, and Yilei Yu, Rice University

A man in a reflective jacket reaches for a woman's hand as they try to walk through waist-deep water. A car behind them is in water up to its windows.

A man in a reflective jacket reaches for a woman's hand as they try to walk through waist-deep water. A car behind them is in water up to its windows.

Why Michael Jackson’s daughter, Paris, won’t stop ‘til she gets enough from his estate

Reid Kress Weisbord, Rutgers University - Newark and Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia

A woman in a beige outfit and long hair poses in a European setting.

A woman in a beige outfit and long hair poses in a European setting.

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Iran war and the economy

A tractor spreads fertilizer on a field.

A tractor spreads fertilizer on a field.

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

Aya S. Chacar, Florida International University

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.

Soaring gas prices prompt Trump to ease oil tanker rules – how waiving the Jones Act affects what you pay at the pump

Christopher Niezrecki, UMass Lowell

a fisherman holds a pole in the foreground as an oil tanker sails by at sunset

a fisherman holds a pole in the foreground as an oil tanker sails by at sunset

Why the damage to Qatar’s gas infrastructure could push costs higher for years to come

Adi Imsirovic, University of Oxford

aerial view of Qatar's Ras Laffan Oil energy site

aerial view of Qatar's Ras Laffan Oil energy site

Targeting of energy facilities turned Iran war into worst-case scenario for Gulf states

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

A natural gas facility from afar.

A natural gas facility from afar.

Read more about the war in Iran

Economics

Health care provider and mom help toddler try on a stethoscope

Health care provider and mom help toddler try on a stethoscope

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

Aparna Soni, Indiana University

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.

Supreme Court’s tariff decision still leaves a ‘mess’ for companies trying to grab refunds

Peter R. Crabb, Northwest Nazarene University; Institute for Humane Studies and Alison Graham Larson, Northwest Nazarene University

Colorful shipping containers are stacked up in a cargo terminal by the Main River in Frankfurt, Germany, just as the sun is coming up.

Colorful shipping containers are stacked up in a cargo terminal by the Main River in Frankfurt, Germany, just as the sun is coming up.

The NFL draft brings economic gains – and hidden public safety costs

Adam Annaccone, University of Texas at Arlington

Football stadium with city skyline in the background.

Football stadium with city skyline in the background.

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

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Business

A selection of expensive smoothies with organic ingredients are listed in front of the high-end grocer Erewhon in Culver City, Calif.

A selection of expensive smoothies with organic ingredients are listed in front of the high-end grocer Erewhon in Culver City, Calif.

Why Americans are buying $22 smoothies despite feeling terrible about the economy

Yuanyuan (Gina) Cui, Coastal Carolina University and Patrick van Esch, Coastal Carolina University

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

Drug company ads are easy to blame for misleading patients and raising costs, but research shows they do help patients get needed treatment

Anna Chorniy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Institute for Humane Studies

Back of a person's head as they watch tv while holding a remote

Back of a person's head as they watch tv while holding a remote

Controversy over Reese’s ingredients reveals standard food industry practices most consumers never notice

Jonathan Deutsch, Drexel University

Three chocolate peanut butter cup candies in a row on white background

Three chocolate peanut butter cup candies in a row on white background

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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

Hands hover over a crystal ball depicting digital share prices.

Hands hover over a crystal ball depicting digital share prices.

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

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

Why doesn’t travel insurance cover war?

Paul Latimer, Swinburne University of Technology

A traveller looks at an airport display showing most flights are cancelled

A traveller looks at an airport display showing most flights are cancelled

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

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

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

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

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

Donor-advised funds have more money than ever – and direct more of it to politically active charities

Brian Mittendorf, The Ohio State University and Helen Flannery, University of Vermont

Hand holding a donation box as other hands put money into a box.

Hand holding a donation box as other hands put money into a box.

Read more about philanthropy and nonprofits

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