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robot being fenced in by humans
February 23, 2024

The Dos and Don’ts of Regulating AI

How can governments capitalize on AI’s benefits while minimizing its dangers? New research examines several policies—and identifies a promising approach.

two lawyer stand in an MMA octagon
February 23, 2024

What’s at Stake in the UFC Antitrust Case?

The outcome of the mixed-martial-arts saga could have wide-ranging implications for the future of global sports entertainment.

people walking through a lively urban shopping district
January 2, 2024

Community Revitalization Is Hard to Get Right. Here’s How It Can Succeed.

“The basic amenities people want are pretty universal, but every community has its own priorities and ideals.”

apartment building with national flags displayed
January 1, 2024

How Should Global Cities Manage an Influx of Wealthy Foreign Residents?

In an age of remote work, the trend will only continue. So how can governments take advantage of the benefits while mitigating the harms?

November 1, 2023

When Your Savings Account Is Also a Lottery Ticket

Prize-linked savings accounts can be more enticing to customers than interest rates—and banks like them, too.

two factories in the heat, with the smaller one melting
November 1, 2023

In a Warming U.S., Smaller Manufacturers Are Feeling the Heat

Smaller firms struggle in the face of temperature shocks, while larger ones are less affected—a trend that is driving industry consolidation.

three people in line at a pharmacy with the same prescription and different priced receipts
October 6, 2023

Can We Build a Better Prescription Drug Market?

Medicare will soon be able to negotiate directly with drug makers. But one economist explains why “the goal should be to increase value, not just lower prices.”

smartphone on witness stand being questioned by lawyer while judge watches.
October 5, 2023

Big Tech Takes the Stand

Google may look like a monopoly, but is its power actually hurting consumers? A legal expert weighs in.

long line of soldiers marching single file through a field
September 1, 2023

Why Do Long Wars Happen?

War is a highly inefficient way of dividing contested resources—yet conflicts endure when there are powerful incentives to feign strength.

group of young people in a cafeteria, with two of the people as TikTok screens.
August 16, 2023

Social-Media Algorithms Have Hijacked “Social Learning”

We make sense of the world by observing and mimicking others, but digital platforms throw that process into turmoil. Can anything be done?

autocrat leaning over battle map surrounded by yes-men.
August 10, 2023

How Autocracies Unravel

Over time, leaders grow more repressive and cling to yes-men—a cycle that’s playing out today in Putin’s Russia.

person in chair reading electronic tablet while octopus tentacles reach out
August 1, 2023

How Data Tracking Is Changing—and What That Means for You

Tech companies are phasing out cookies. Will consumers finally see meaningful privacy protections?

woman holding globe and flat earth
July 1, 2023

How to Prepare for AI-Generated Misinformation

“We have to be careful not to get distracted by sci-fi issues and focus on concrete risks that are the most pressing.”

golfer waits while official sews banners for PGA and LIV Golf together
July 1, 2023

Will the PGA–LIV Golf Merger Pass the Antitrust Test?

“Statements that LIV has made about breaking up the monopoly of the PGA may come back to haunt them.”

illustration of the exterior of the U.S. Supreme Court building.
June 30, 2023

The Supreme Court Ended Race-Conscious Admissions. A Sociologist Who Studies Bias in Elite Spaces Is Worried about the Ramifications.

“The decision represents a fundamental misunderstanding or misrecognition of what we know from science about how discrimination works.”

two groups of politicians negotiate while dangling upside down from the ceiling of a room
May 22, 2023

What’s at Stake in the Debt-Ceiling Standoff?

Defaulting would be an unmitigated disaster, quickly felt by ordinary Americans.

People pass an e-cigarette billboard
May 16, 2023

Take 5: Yikes! When Unintended Consequences Strike

Good intentions don’t always mean good results. Here’s why humility, and a lot of monitoring, are so important when making big changes.

A soybean seed led Brazilian farm workers to industrialized jobs.
April 21, 2023

Banning China from Owning U.S. Farmland Will Achieve Nothing

A new bipartisan bill would prohibit anyone associated with “foreign adversaries” like China from purchasing U.S. farmland. While protecting the U.S. food system and making farmland more affordable to domestic producers by limiting foreign ownership may seem plausible on paper, the reality is more complicated.

a doctor speaks with a political reporter
January 21, 2023

Take 5: What We’ve Learned about Tackling Public-Health Crises

Covid-era research sheds light on how policymakers can guide the economy and the public through future emergencies.

A detective pulls back his computer screen to reveal code behind the video image.
December 22, 2022

In a World of Widespread Video Sharing, What’s Real and What’s Not?

A discussion with a video-authentication expert on what it takes to unearth “deepfakes.”

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The Insightful Leader

February 16, 2024  ·  15:17 minutes
February 2, 2024  ·  19:54 minutes