The "right to repair" movement is gaining steam as consumers push corporations to offer them more freedom to fix productsβfrom cars to dishwashers to toys.
The world has never had more data, more models or more economists. It has rarely felt more out of control. Uncertainty, not risk, has become the defining condition of our era. Central bankers invoke it. Political leaders use it to defer decisions and justify extraordinary ones. Academics are struggling to adapt their theories to a brave new world of unexpected outcomes and erratic policy choices. The IMF's World Uncertainty Indexβwhich tracks how often the word appears in economic and political reporting across 143 countriesβhas been running at historically elevated levels for the better part of a decade, with fresh spikes after every major shock.
Change can be hardβespecially when you're used to receiving change. Switching from cash-based to digital payment methods can be a difficult sell, particularly in developing economies, poorer neighborhoods and among older people who have gotten used to cash. But digital payments have certain advantages for both businesses and consumers, and a Cornell-led research team explored ways to spur adoption of modern payment technology.
More than 2.6 million Canadians work for themselves, and according to an annual RBC poll conducted in 2025, 59% of Canadians aspire to own a businessβthe highest level since 2017.
While most businesses have introduced AI in the workplace to enhance employee productivity, an Auburn University information systems researcher cautions that under certain circumstances, AI deployment can inadvertently zap the motivation of its highest-performing workers, which could diminish the company's overall profit.
When citizens feel a bigger tax pinch, political corruption goes down and voter turnout rises. That's a key finding from new research led by Washington State University, which found that a higher tax burden is associated with increased civic engagement and citizen monitoring of public officials.