In The News

Four-Day Workweek Boosts Productivity: Japan Times

Kazuaki Nagata November 9, 2019
Companies could save money by trying a four-day workweek, sharpening employee focus while providing more time for home life. Microsoft tested a four-day workweek for one month in Japan and discovered that productivity increased among sales staff by 40 percent. The experiment did not reduce pay, and every Friday in August was a paid holiday. Management also asked workers to communicate more over...

End of Neoliberalism: Project Syndicate

Joseph Stiglitz November 7, 2019
Neoliberal policies and unfettered markets undermined democracy for 40 years, destroying hopes of economic growth and the spread of democracy. “The effects of capital-market liberalization were particularly odious: If a leading presidential candidate in an emerging market lost favor with Wall Street, the banks would pull their money out of the country,” explains Joseph Stiglitz for Project...

Nuclear Fusion: BBC News

Matt McGrath November 6, 2019
The United Kingdom, investing £200 million, expects to unveil a demonstration nuclear fusion model by 2025 and to use such reactors to supply energy by 2040. Nuclear fusion relies on heating hydrogen atoms at high temperatures to replicate the processes of the Sun on Earth, explains Matt McGrath for BBC News. “With the price of wind and solar continuing to drop, experts say these existing...

Flooded Future: Climate Central

October 31, 2019
Researchers continue to warn that previous climate studies may have been conservative and – without immediate mitigation and interventions – flooding, wildfires, extreme weather will be worse than earlier predicted. Accurate measurements of coastal elevations are costly, and past models overestimated elevations of forested areas. New research based on improved measurements of coastal elevations...

Listen to the Young: Times of India

Nayan Chanda October 26, 2019
Young people are worried about the future of their societies and the planet as a whole and are becoming activists, convincing peers and adults to listen. Greta Thunberg of Sweden, 16, has rallied millions of students around the globe urging immediate action on climate change, and Joshua Wong, 22, seeks support on protecting democracy for Hong Kong. “Both Thunberg and Wong need the adults to act...

Prepare for Globalization’s End: Barron’s

Neil Shearing October 24, 2019
Globalization and increased connections through trade, travel, education and more has shaped the world in recent decades, reducing interest rates, costs and inflation. “The integration of several billion workers into the global economy has pushed down labor’s share of income and pushed up the share flowing to company profits,” explains Neil Shearing for Barron’s. “The latter has provided an...

Abandon Fast Fashion: McGill Tribune

Kennedy McKee-Braide October 23, 2019
Students question the wisdom of closets and drawers packed full of low-cost unusual clothing worn a few times. Consumers purchase more clothing than necessary, and so-called “fast fashion” has financial and environmental consequences. “Over the last five years in the fashion industry, an area dominated by gratuitous marketing, social media, and online shopping, consumers have increasingly...