Category: Finance

Tax changes taking effect in 2026 may boost the number of donors but lead to the US missing out on an estimated $5.7B a year in charitable giving

Jon Bergdoll, Associate Director of Data Partnerships at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana UniversityLeave a Comment on Tax changes taking effect in 2026 may boost the number of donors but lead to the US missing out on an estimated $5.7B a year in charitable giving

Many provisions in the huge tax-and-spending package that President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, sometimes called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will influence how much money Americans give to charity. We conduct in-depth research on philanthropy. Together, we have analyzed the tax policy changes. After crunching the numbers, we predict […]

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

Jonathan Deutsch, Professor of Food and Hospitality Management, Drexel UniversityLeave a Comment on Controversy over Reese’s ingredients reveals standard food industry practices most consumers never notice

Springtime in Pennsylvania is peanut butter egg season. This year some consumers may taste the eggs a bit more critically and scrutinize the ingredients and label more carefully. Reese’s, a Hershey brand, is known for combining chocolate and peanut butter in delicious and iconic ways. Reese’s products come in a variety of formats, called “line […]

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A pet-friendly homeless shelter pilot reduced the rate of homelessness among the people it helped in California

Benjamin F. Henwood, Professor of Social Policy and Health, University of Southern CaliforniaLeave a Comment on A pet-friendly homeless shelter pilot reduced the rate of homelessness among the people it helped in California

When homeless shelters allow people to stay with their dogs and other pets, more unhoused people become more willing to stay in a shelter. That’s what my team at the University of Southern California’s Homelessness Policy Research Institute learned when we evaluated California’s Pet Assistance and Support Program. California’s Department of Housing and Community Development […]

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A successful USDA program that has supported more than 533,000 affordable rental homes in rural America is getting phased out

Brian Y. An, Co-Director of Center for Urban Research, Director of Master of Science in Public Policy Program, & Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of TechnologyLeave a Comment on A successful USDA program that has supported more than 533,000 affordable rental homes in rural America is getting phased out

The high cost of renting and buying homes in U.S. cities is no secret. But this affordability problem isn’t limited to urban regions – it affects rural areas as well. Rural areas, home to about 25% of Americans, benefit from federally supported rental housing programs – particularly a U.S. Department of Agriculture program to provide […]

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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, Professor of Public Administration, Binghamton University, State University of New YorkLeave a Comment on 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

The 50 American individuals and couples who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2025 committed US$22.4 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals and more. That total was 35% above an inflation-adjusted $16.6 billion in 2024, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s latest annual tally of these donations. Media entrepreneur and former New York Mayor […]

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Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket

Jim Franklin, Professor of Accounting, Western Governors University School of BusinessLeave a Comment on Big beautiful refund? 5 tax code changes that may put more money in your pocket

The days are getting longer and W-2s are blooming, which can only mean one thing – the U.S. tax season is here. Many Americans may receive a bigger tax refund than in previous years as a result of changes under what has been dubbed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a package of tax breaks and […]

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War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy

Michael Klein, Professor of International Economic Affairs at The Fletcher School, Tufts UniversityLeave a Comment on War in Middle East brings uncertainty and higher energy costs to already weakening US economy

bk: michael, reminder to please fill our your disclosure when you have a second. it’s the red button at right The “fog of war” refers to confusion and uncertainty on the battlefield and the attendant possibility of fatal error. This principle has a parallel when it comes to the economic consequences of wars as well, […]

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Family-friendly workplaces are great − but ‘families of 1’ get ignored

Peter McGraw, Professor of Marketing and Psychology, University of Colorado BoulderLeave a Comment on Family-friendly workplaces are great − but ‘families of 1’ get ignored

In 1960, 72% of adults were married, and over 90% would go on to marry. HR policies and management practices back then catered to nuclear families with a lone, male breadwinner. Today, dual-career couples and working mothers are common, largely due to the growth of women in the workforce in the second half of the […]

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Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality

Olivier Sterck, Associate Professor of Economics, University of OxfordLeave a Comment on Measuring poverty on a spectrum instead of an arbitrary line conveys a more accurate picture of inequality

Michael W. Green, a Wall Street investor, created a buzz in late 2025 by arguing that the U.S. poverty line should be jacked up to US$140,000 for a family of four. Currently, a family of that size has to be eking by on $33,000 a year to qualify as poor in the federal government’s eyes. […]

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Far from random, China’s global port network is clustering near the world’s riskiest trade routes

Dylan Spencer, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Georgia Southern UniversityLeave a Comment on Far from random, China’s global port network is clustering near the world’s riskiest trade routes

In late February 2026, the Panamanian government took control of two ports in the Panama Canal that had been operated by a Hong Kong conglomerate for two decades. The move is the latest in a long-simmering legal battle after Panama’s high court voided the company’s contracts. Far from just a local dispute, however, the episode […]

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