Business and Economy
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Professor Saji George | When “Safe” Isn’t Safe Enough: What Hidden Fungal Toxins in Cannabis Could Mean for Public Health
Cannabis legalization in Canada was meant to bring transparency, consistency, and safety to a rapidly growing industry. Products sold through regulated channels are tested, packaged, and monitored under strict federal rules. For many consumers, especially medical patients, that regulatory seal offers reassurance that the product they are using has been carefully vetted for health risks. But new research at McGill University suggests that potentially harmful fungal toxins can persist in cannabis products even after they undergo standard decontamination processes and meet existing regulatory thresholds. Their findings raise important questions about whether current definitions of cannabis safety are sufficient to protect consumers, particularly those in higher-risk groups.
Bartley Madden – Professor Douglas Stevens | The Financial Economist Who Tried to Fix Capitalism Twice
Michael Jensen spent much of his life asking one of the most important questions in modern business: What makes companies work well, and what causes them to fail? For decades, his ideas shaped how corporations were managed, how executives were paid, and how investors judged success. Some praised him as one of the most influential thinkers in modern finance. Others blamed his theories for encouraging corporate greed, soaring executive compensation, and an obsession with shareholder value. Few economists have had such a powerful influence on the financial world.
Mara Bălașa – Professor Rickard Sandberg | Green Steel and the Price of a Cleaner Future
Steel is everywhere. It forms the skeletons of skyscrapers, the frames of cars, the rails beneath trains, and the machines that build modern economies. Yet behind this essential material lies a difficult truth. Steelmaking is one of the world’s most carbon intensive industries. Each ton of conventional steel can release nearly two tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As countries race to reduce emissions and limit climate change, transforming the way steel is made has become an urgent challenge.
Prof. Drew Winters | The Quiet Gatekeepers: How Bank Size Influences Who Gets a Loan
On any given day in the United States, millions of financial decisions are made quietly behind desks and computer screens. A loan officer reviews an application from a small construction company. An algorithm evaluates a mortgage request from a young family. A bank executive signs off on a merger that will reshape the local banking landscape. Each decision may seem technical or routine. Yet together they shape who gets to buy a home, who gets to expand a business, and which communities flourish.
Prof. Ariel Pakes | Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Hidden Forces Behind Your Health Plan Loyalty
If you ask someone in the United States whether to reconsider their health insurance plan choices, they may sigh, roll their eyes, and offer a story about navigating a maze of deductibles, networks, and confusing brochures. In practice, most people end up doing the simplest thing possible: they stay in the same plan they are already in. Economists have long noticed this pattern. Even when plans raise their prices or competitors offer better deals, people tend to remain where they are. This raises a fascinating question: do people stay because switching is difficult, or because they genuinely prefer the plan they already have? A new study by the economist Prof. Ariel Pakes of Harvard University, and colleagues Prof. Mark Shepard and Prof. Jack Porter, digs into this puzzle and uncovers some surprising answers. Although the study uses sophisticated mathematical tools, the insights are straightforward and important for anyone interested in how health insurance markets work.
Professor John Willoughby – Christian Fignole | Challenging Traditional Economic Assumptions about Capitalism, Socialism and Enterprise Ownership
Research from Professor John Willoughby and Christian Fignole at American University in Washington DC examines how diverse ownership structures persist in market economies, challenging the assumption that capitalist ownership automatically emerges as the most efficient form. Using economist Henry Hansmann’s institutional framework, they argue that while capitalist owners contribute little to enterprise operations, this does not guarantee that worker ownership would become dominant in post-capitalist societies. Their analysis reveals that heterogeneous ownership forms will likely continue to exist due to the varying conditions that exist in different sectors of a market economy.
Dr. Andrey Kostyuk | How Mentoring Enables Startup Success Through A Social Exchange Process
Research from Dr. Andrey Kostyuk at the Grenoble Ecole de Management supervised by Prof. Martina Battisti, a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy, and Director of European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, reveals that successful startup mentoring operates as a complex social exchange where both mentors and entrepreneurs must benefit for ventures to thrive. The findings advance the understanding of entrepreneurial mentoring and provide a blueprint for designing more effective mentoring programs that could accelerate sustainable startup growth worldwide.
Dr. Kishor Shrestha | Rethinking the costs of highway rest areas
Operating and maintaining highway rest areas across the United States has long posed a costly challenge for state transportation departments, especially amid tightening budgets and rising demand. In a new study, Dr. Kishor Shrestha, associate professor at Washington State University finds that one outsourcing method known as method-based contracting is significantly more cost-effective than its two main alternatives. The results offer transport officials a clearer path forward for running rest areas more efficiently, and could help to preventing costly, potentially dangerous closures in the future.
Professor Juliane Reinecke – Professor Jimmy Donaghey | How Deliberate Ambiguity Built One of the World’s Most Successful Worker Safety Initiatives
Research from Professor Juliane Reinecke at the University of Oxford and Professor Jimmy Donaghey at the University of South Australia reveals how strategic ambiguity in international agreements can paradoxically strengthen rather than weaken collective action. Their eight-year study of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety demonstrates how deliberately vague language that initially enables difficult negotiations can evolve into robust, expanding commitments that exceed original expectations.
Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg – Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert | How Human Rights Laws and Economic Competitiveness Can Co-Exist
Research from Dr. Bernhard Reinsberg at the University of Glasgow and Dr. Christoph Valentin Steinert at the University of Zurich reveals how France’s groundbreaking mandatory due diligence law defied business predictions of economic harm. Through analysis of 11,504 French companies over fifteen years, their study demonstrates that requiring firms to monitor human rights and environmental standards in their supply chains had no significant impact on profitability. Their findings challenge widespread industry claims that such regulations threaten competitiveness and provide crucial evidence for policymakers considering similar legislation worldwide.
Dr. Claudia Ituarte-Lima – Dr. Radu Mares | How Latin America’s Groundbreaking Treaty Intersects with European Economic Law
Research by Dr. Claudia Ituarte-Lima and Dr. Radu Mares at Lund University examines how a pioneering environmental agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean introduces new ways of protecting nature and human rights. Their study reveals both opportunities and challenges in how this regional treaty interacts with European Union trade laws, offering insights into how different regions can work together to protect the environment and strengthen democracy.
Dr. Kurt Vollmer | Weeding Out the Competition: The Promise of Cover Crops in Sustainable Agriculture
As global agriculture faces increasing challenges from climate change, soil degradation, and herbicide resistance, sustainable practices are becoming more crucial than ever. Among these practices, the use of cover crops, a technique that has been gaining traction for its multiple benefits, stands out. Dr. Kurt Vollmer and his colleagues at the University of Maryland and Rutgers University have delved into this area, focusing on the potential of spring-seeded grass cover crops in improving weed management and crop yields, specifically in cucurbit production. Their research sheds light on how integrating cover crops with traditional farming techniques can lead to more sustainable and productive agricultural systems.