Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock US president Donald Trump’s 15% baseline tariffs on EU imports may read like a throwback to old-school protectionism, designed to safeguard American jobs and manufacturing. But in today’s globalised and digitally driven economy, the risk isn’t just to steel or car factories, it’s to innovation itself. The world’s most advanced technologies rely on complex, […]
Closely examining the claims companies make about a product can help you separate hype from reality. Flavio Coelho/Moment via Getty Images Technological innovations can seem relentless. In computing, some have proclaimed that “a year in machine learning is a century in any other field.” But how do you know whether those advancements are hype or […]
The prizewinners were announced at a ceremony in Stockholm. EPA/ANDERS WIKLUND SWEDEN OUT What makes some countries rich and others poor? Is there any action a country can take to improve living standards for its citizens? Economists have wondered about this for centuries. If the answer to the second question is yes, then the impact […]
Economists Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt. Ill. Niklas Elmehed © Nobel Prize Outreach Three economists working in the area of “innovation-driven economic growth” have won this year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Half of the 11 million Swedish kronor (about A$1.8 million) prize was awarded to Joel Mokyr, a Dutch-born economic historian […]
Chris Putnam/Future Publishing via Getty Images Governments of all stripes provide support to small businesses in the form of tax concessions, lighter-touch regulation or government grants. They’re called the “engine room” of the economy. But is small really best? In recent research, my co-authors and I explored this question by looking at the contributions that […]
Eureka, what an idea! TU IS/iStock/Getty Images Plus Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Who invented the light bulb? – Preben, age 5, New York City When people name the most important inventions in history, light […]
The NIH is a node in an interconnected system producing health and medical advances. Anchalee Phanmaha/Moment via Getty Images In May 2025, the White House proposed reducing the budget of the National Institutes of Health by roughly 40% – from about US$48 billion to $27 billion. Such a move would return NIH funding to levels […]
Claudio Schwarz/Unsplash, CC BY Australia’s workforce is almost evenly split between men and women. Yet fewer than one in four Australians work in a gender-balanced occupation. This has improved over time, but at a glacial rate. In 1990, more than half of men (52%) worked in occupations that were more than 80% male. Thirty-five years […]
Steel played a large role in the Industrial Revolution. Monty Rakusen/DigitalVision via Getty Images Many modern devices – from cellphones and computers to electric vehicles and wind turbines – rely on strong magnets made from a type of minerals called rare earths. As the systems and infrastructure used in daily life have turned digital and […]
Chef Phila Lorn prepares a bowl of noodle soup at Mawn restaurant in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Matt Rourke The Philadelphia restaurant scene is abuzz with the news that the famed Michelin Guide is coming to town. As a research chef and educator at Drexel University in Philadelphia, I am following the Michelin developments closely. Having eaten […]
