In The News

AI and Robots Threaten to Unleash Mass Unemployment, Scientists Warn

Clive Cookson February 16, 2016
Almost any task performed by humans could be automated, and development of robots could soon replace most human jobs. Computer scientists Moshe Vardi of Rice University and Bart Selman of Cornell University warned the American Association for the Advancement of Science, that “governments – and society as a whole – were not facing up to the acceleration of AI and robotics research,” reports Clive...

Number of Workers per Retiree Declines Worldwide

Joseph Chamie December 22, 2015
Most governments must juggle budgets and confront the fact that the world has fewer people of working age to support the swelling ranks of the elderly. Joseph Chamie, a demographer, analyzes the Potential Support Ratio, or PSR, and suggests the statistic could reveal more about the overall health of an economy than GDP or other common indicators. “The PSR has weighty implications for governments...

Imagine America If Steve Jobs’ Father Was Turned Away Because He Was Syrian

Nick Hanauer December 10, 2015
Immigration is interconnected with US values, innovation and prosperity. Some US presidential candidates propose denying entry to refugees fleeing civil war and terrorism in Syria. One candidate went so far as to propose a sweeping, unworkable and unconstitutional ban on Muslims entering the United States. In an opinion essay for the Seattle Times, venture capitalist Nick Hanauer argues that US...

G20 Leaders Endorse Crackdown on Tax Evasion

November 18, 2015
Global leaders are pledging to crack down on tax evasion and also work on sustainable growth. The group of the world’s 20 largest economies, including the European Union and 19 countries, “committed to the implementation of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project (BEPS) which closes gaps that allow corporate profits to ‘disappear’ or to be artificially shifted to low or no tax environments...

Wanted: Competent Foreigners to Work for Ukrainian Government

Olena Lennon October 27, 2015
Ukraine is in political and economic turmoil after Russia’s takeover of Crimea and support of separatists in the eastern part of the nation. The government cannot afford inefficiencies, and a new law allows the government led by President Petro Poroshenko to hire foreigners for top ministerial posts. The goal is to curtail corruption and encourage innovation. “While the process has been eased for...

The Long, Uphill Fight to End Restaurant Tipping

Peter Moskowitz October 26, 2015
New York City reports that international visitors account for about half of all tourism direct spending. One wrinkle for restaurant workers: The United States for the most part stands alone in mandating a low minimum wage for servers - $2.13 nationwide and near $5 in New York – forcing them to rely on customer tips. Peter Moskowitz, writing for Vice, points out that servers can earn anywhere from...

Matteo Renzi, Scrapper in the Swamp

Joji Sakurai October 19, 2015
A challenge for Europe is that many talented, skilled young adults cannot find work. Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would like to jumpstart the economy by “breaking it open to competition,” journalist Joji Sakurai explains for the New Statesman. Italy confronts “a struggle of allegiances versus globalisation; gerontocracy versus meritocracy; made-in-Italy quality versus stark economic...