Tag: Economy

The term “technical debt” usually refers to shortcuts or suboptimal approaches during software development. It manifests itself as poorly designed code, lack of documentation and outdated components. While properly written code and documentation are timeless, components and approaches ar...

The so-called “sharing economy” emerged about a decade ago, promising to transform business and daily life. Advocates pitched utopian visions of empowered entrepreneurs making extra cash by renting out spare rooms, cars, and other unused assets. Magazine covers trumpeted “The Share...

In recent times, the world has watched with bated breath as China’s economic landscape has undergone tumultuous shifts. The global economic ship finds itself tethered to China’s anchor, making it imperative for us to grasp the intricacies of what’s unfolding in the world’s se...

What happens when a country with one of the most problematic economies in the world decides to extend its influence using this very economic development incompetence? Global disaster, mostly. That is what has happened with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the largest and most ambit...

Here is a draft Medium article on how blockchain could be used to manage the economy and track business activity: How Blockchain Could Revolutionize Economic Systems Blockchain technology has disruptive implications far beyond cryptocurrencies. In this post, I’ll explore how blockchain l...

Inthe decadent boom years of the 1980s, there was a popular bumper sticker that read, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” The line is usually attributed to flamboyant billionaire tycoon Malcolm Forbes and, for many, remains a stark reminder of the hubris that existed during the Rea...

Okay, I admit I fibbed a little in the subtitle. It is about inflation, but not in and of itself. It’s more about the acceleration of inflation, and of the acceleration of rising interest rates. First, let’s backtrack to the confounding economic data we are seeing....

U.S. stocks showed a slight recovery on Friday but ultimately ended the week with losses due to concerns about the Federal Reserve adopting a more hawkish stance, which affected investor confidence. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite managed to gain 0.1% on Friday, with Apple attempting to bounce back ...

Imagine, in your head, a town on the edge of collapse. High poverty levels, high crime levels, declining population, and declining job opportunities. Hopefully, you’ve never had to live in one. If you have, though, you’ll have a clear image of what “downtown” or the &ldquo...

Everybody wants to be seen. The drive is unavoidably hammered into our DNA. But capturing anyone’s attention, even for a moment, is quite the challenge these days. So, it’s no surprise to see the extremes people go to satisfy this hard-wired need. Doods climbing up the side of a m...

Everybody wants to be seen. The drive is unavoidably hammered into our DNA. But capturing anyone’s attention, even for a moment, is quite the challenge these days. So, it’s no surprise to see the extremes people go to satisfy this hard-wired need. Doods climbing up the side of a m...

It was inescapable all December long. There was advertising everywhere — on TV, on billboards, on the internet. Sports betting was arriving in my state on January 1. I’m not a gambler at all. I’ve been in probably three casinos in my life, and found them disturbing and sad rathe...

Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, the government will introduce a new method, which includes launching major transformative projects, to drive the creation of the world’s most vibrant economy. The meet...

In recent years, Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been at the forefront of a remarkable journey towards digital innovation and sustainability, aiming to shape a smart economy that leverages technology and knowledge for sustainable growth. These efforts align with the UAE’s commitment to diversify its ...

Sara Gonzalez, Professor of Critical Human Geography, Joint Associate Director Urban Food Systems, GFEI, University of Leeds. [email protected] Food is a fundamental human need and yet most humans don’t have much control or power over the process of its production, distribution and sel...

According to a WAM report, the UAE has achieved remarkable strides in its transition towards a digital economy since 2013. These achievements have effectively bolstered the competitiveness of the UAE’s national economy. This is affirmed by indices released by international bodies like the Worl...

Slaves were the backbone of the economy of ancient Rome long before Rome became an Empire. Rome was a classic slave state. What was the number of slaves owned by the Romans? It is not easy to answer, if only because Rome itself was quite different at different points in its history, both in terms of...

In the ‘green economy,’ the interests of corporations, governments and the conservation industry intersect. All of these entities, in one way or another, profit from the destruction of forests and the dispossession of communities. The REDD mechanism (Reducing Emissions from Deforestat...

After stemming from legacy environmental management systems (EMS), carbon accounting (hereby, CA) has been around for almost a decade now. VCs invested over $1bn in hundreds of CA solutions, while software giants like Microsoft, Salesforce and SAP released their own CA products and features. The CA ...

There has been a steady growth in interest in actioning a circular economy, which is critical to us living sustainability on this beautiful planet we all share. But in order to achieve a transition from the current linear, polluting and wasteful economy to a circular and sustainable one, a syst...

First, a little economic philosophy. Stocks have value only because they represent ownership in the underlying business. The business only has value if it is generating or ultimately will generate free cash flow. This simply means that your ownership of said stock is a call option on cash generated ...

It’s one of the biggest economic and political problems in America — people are mad about the economy, even though economists think the economy is pretty good. This is one of those moments that may show that the cold-blooded science of economics, which we have made one of ou...

When figures are used to propose solutions to big problems, the result is often sufficiently dizzying that, in practice, the headlines go unnoticed or are soon forgotten. I recently read a report by a former World Bank executive in which she estimated it would cost $1 trillion annually for d...

Unleashing the Power of APIs in the Modern Internet Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) emerge as the unsung heroes powering the contemporary internet. From the functionality of websites and mobile apps to the intricacies of IoT devices, APIs serve as the backbone. In the era of global inte...

In recent years, various macro-level shifts, including public health crises, demographic changes, and climate risks, have had cascading effects that compelled us to reconsider how we govern, plan, and operate our cities. These changes have prompted us to question the prevailing notion of space as a ...

A young woman in her twenties steps away to show off her outfit, the front-facing phone camera perched on the steps of a Brooklyn brownstone they do not own, Lana Del Rey’s “Margaret” playing softly atop the softened sounds of footsteps taken in Rothy’s Mary Janes. Within the...

The Trucking Industry The trucking industry stands as a symbol of relentless movement, a reflection of a world that never stops, and an engine that drives the global economy. To fully comprehend its significance, we must first recognize that the backbone of goods transportation comprises more tha...

Last week we highlighted weak consumer sentiment translating into lower demand for big ticket items (i.e.. PCs, appliances). This week we noted several markets where prices have started to decline. Wholesale used-vehicle prices (adjusted for mix, mileage, and seasonality) declined 3.3% in March f...

Truck drivers are the backbone of Vietnam’s economy. Without their diligent services, many of the goods and materials we need would be stuck in the mud. Regularly, consumers and businesses want their goods delivered within proper time and those goods don’t magically appear at the place. ...

It gives me no pleasure to tell you that the fate of the nation might just rest on whether gas prices go up or down in the last two weeks of October. There are a number of close races out there for the Senate, House, and various governorships. A troubling number of them feature a Democrat who, th...

This blog is part of the Reimagining Economics Possibilities series. This series accompanies the Neighbourhood Doughnut portfolio of work in which CIVIC SQUARE, along with many neighbours, researchers, partners and visionaries have, since 2019, been exploring large and small scale ways to ...

During my last rant about the enlightenment economy, which also happened to be 7 minutes and 1 cup of mushroom-infused coffee (adaptogenic, not psychedelic mushrooms, please; I’m not going to admit to that in writing), I was standing at my sit/stand desk, basking in the light of three mon...

When it comes to understanding the political economy of mass media, there is arguably no work more seminal than “Manufacturing Consent” by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky. Published in 1988, this comprehensive critique of the mass media’s role in shaping public opinion has proved...