What’s next for Albertsons after calling off its $25B grocery merger with Kroger: More lawsuits

Albertsons announced on Dec. 11, 2024, that it had called off an attempted merger with Kroger and would sue Kroger for breach of contract. The US$25 billion deal, first announced in 2022, would have combined Cincinnati-based Kroger, already the largest traditional U.S. supermarket chain, with Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, which is currently the third-biggest grocer. The […]

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Only 0.16% of all US charitable giving supports LGBTQ+ groups despite recent increases

CC BY-ND In an era marked by both significant advances and setbacks for LGBTQ+ people, charitable giving to LGBTQ+ organizations more than doubled in a recent 10-year period. Despite that swift growth, those donations still amount to only 0.16% of total U.S. charitable contributions, according to the latest edition of the LGBTQ+ Index, developed by […]

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Is the American Dream achievable? These students are examining its promises and pitfalls

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: “Economic Realities of the American Dream” What prompted the idea for the course? One of us – Steve Fazzari – was trained as an economist, and the other – Mark Rank – as a sociologist. We’ve shared […]

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How cities are reinventing the public-private partnership − 4 lessons from around the globe

Cities tackle a vast array of responsibilities – from building transit networks to running schools – and sometimes they can use a little help. That’s why local governments have long teamed up with businesses in so-called public-private partnerships. Historically, these arrangements have helped cities fund big infrastructure projects such as bridges and hospitals. However, our […]

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Retailers that make it harder to return stuff face backlash from their customers

In 2018, L.L. Bean ended its century-old “lifetime” return policy, limiting returns to one year after purchase and requiring receipts. The demise of this popular policy sparked backlash, with several customers filing lawsuits. It also inspired my team of operations management researchers to study how customers respond when retailers make their return policies more strict. […]

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Is news bias fueled by journalists supplying slanted views or readers’ demanding them? An economist weighs in

Late in December 2023, the former top editor of The New York Times’ editorial page, James Bennet, dropped a bombshell in an article for The Economist. “The leadership of the New York Times is losing control of its principles,” he wrote, saying slanted coverage at the institution is “pervasive.” In the article, Bennet talked about […]

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Rules against insider trading also boost innovation, research finds

Strong enforcement of insider trading laws doesn’t just protect investors – it encourages businesses to be more innovative, according to our new peer-reviewed research. In fact, we found that after a company is hit with an insider-trading indictment, it generally produces more patents – which in turn are cited more by other patents – than […]

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How to avoid the latest generation of scams this holiday season

Imagine this: Two days before your family holiday party, you get a text about an online order you placed a week ago, saying the package is at your door. It comes with a photo – of someone else’s door. When you click the attached link, it takes you to the online store, where you enter […]

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What are pharmacy benefit managers? A health economist explains how lack of competition drives up drug prices for everyone

Wegovy and Ozempic are weight loss drugs that promise to transform the treatment of obesity, heart disease and other chronic conditions that afflict millions of Americans. But while everyone agrees these drugs have the potential to transform lives, no one can agree on how best to pay for them. Wegovy sells for a list price […]

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Cryptocurrency Theft Surges to $2.2 Billion in 2024, Marking a 21% Increase

In 2024, cryptocurrency theft reached alarming levels, with over $2.2 billion (A$3.5 billion) worth of digital assets stolen—a 21% increase compared to the previous year. This marks the fourth consecutive year that thefts of more than $1 billion have been reported, according to a Chainalysis report. The total number of individual hacking incidents also rose, […]

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