North America
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The Fragile Foundations of the AI Economy
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In the 1840s, Britain experienced one of the largest investment booms in modern economic history. Suddenly, an emerging, epochally transformative technology emerged, promising faster transport, lower costs, and national market integration. Railway mania was born, and capital poured in. At its peak, railway investment reached roughly seven percent of British…
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The U.S. Kids Online Safety Act: Balancing Child Protection and Digital Autonomy
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The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) recently reemerged as one of Washington’s most closely watched bipartisan tech proposals. As worry has grown on Capitol Hill about children’s and teens’ online safety, research in recent years has increasingly found social media use to be driving surging rates of adolescent depression, anxiety,…
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The Rise in Health Insurance Prices: How Policy Can Change American Healthcare
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Experts have been warning the public about the impending increase in health insurance prices in 2025, with even sharper increases expected this year in 2026. This anticipated increase comes with a shrinkage in coverage and a strain on low-income Americans who will not be able to afford these hiking premiums.…
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Rural Labor and Delivery: Should We Let Great Get in the Way of Good?
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For years, the United States has lagged behind other developed countries in its ability to keep mothers alive. A recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics found the US maternal mortality rate is 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to an average of 10 deaths per 100,000…
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Incompetence, Fraud and Conflict of Interest: The Problems of SNAP Benefits
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Suppose it is payday and you are patiently waiting for your paycheck to hit your bank account. You do not have a particularly large cushion of savings, so the upcoming deposit will be covering groceries and other necessities, little else. Now imagine your shock: the bank has mistakenly allocated that…
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Leveling the Playing Field
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For decades, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) prohibited student-athletes from profiting off their name, image, and likeness (NIL). That changed in 2021 when the Supreme Court, in NCAA v. Alston, held that the NCAA could not restrict education-related benefits for athletes. Although the ruling did not mandate NIL rights…
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Right-to-Work Laws in the Midwest: Evaluating Impact on Low-Wage Workers
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Right-to-Work (RTW) laws, which prohibit mandatory union membership as a condition of employment, have been a focal point of policy debates across the United States. Over the past decade, several Midwest states, including Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin, have adopted RTW laws, shifting the labor landscape in a region historically characterized by strong…
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Chicago’s food insecurity needs action, not more impact analysis
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As with most edible foods in our homes, there is an expiration date for action on hunger. This past year, with approval ratings at an all-time low and food insecurity on the city’s South and West sides at an all-time high, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson failed to act on a…
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North America in Transition: The Tariff Showdown and What it Means for the Future
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The North American trade relationship faces a major test. In early 2025, President Trump announced tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, citing irregular immigration, drug trafficking, and trade imbalances. Mexico faces a 25% tariff on all goods, while Canadian oil and energy exports endure a 10% tariff. These actions…
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Who Will Explain Capitalism Now That Buffett Won’t?
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For one weekend every spring, cameras, analysts, and small investors from around the world flew to Omaha. Business channels in Europe and Asia set up temporary bureaus in a Midwestern city many of their viewers could not locate on a map, simply because one man would sit on a stage…
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Trump’s Intel Stake Isn’t Socialism; It’s Common Sense
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President Trump’s decision to seek government equity and revenue sharing in major chip companies, including a 9.9 percent non-voting stake in Intel and proposed deals with Nvidia and AMD, has sparked rare, intense bipartisan backlash; a sign of deep controversy surrounding direct government involvement in the tech sector. Sen. Rand…