Joint article with Sofija Stanojevic Gabriel Zucman at Room for Discussion On Monday, the Room for Discussion stage hosted Gabriel Zucman, a well-renowned French economist, professor of economics at the Paris School of Economics, U.C Berkeley, and the director of the EU Tax Observatory. Dubbed as " the billionaires’ nightmare ” , he is the leading expert on tax injustices and the main proponent of proposing a 2% annual wealth tax on billionaires. Zucman argues that taxing w

©Pexels: UMA media If Elon Musk isn't the most controversial person of the decade, he's getting really close, especially after the scandal surrounding his AI chatbot Grok. On January 12th , Indonesia and Malaysia became the first countries to ban Grok after it was caught generating sexualized images of women and children. Users were asking it to digitally undress people, and Grok was complying without hesitation. Yet, that same week, the US Pentagon announced it would integr

A patient had recently survived a brain chip implant from Neuralink, linking their brain activity to a computer. This article delves into the implications in business, military, criminology, and health, as well as legal and ethical concerns.

Chile’s renewable revolution shows that sustainability leadership isn’t reserved for superpowers. Despite its modest geopolitical footprint and remote location in the far south, Chile has emerged as an unexpected leader in the global transition toward sustainable development. The South American nation has become one of the world’s most compelling laboratories for green transformation, and its strategic approach to renewable energy, environmental regulation, and resource gove

The future is created in the lecture halls of today. Do we want Neoclassical Economics to build this future alone? © Photo by  Henry Storck  on  Unsplash The Week of Economics Education  (Week van het Economieonderwijs) is an annual event in November that brings together academics from a range of roles across the Netherlands, with each day focusing on a separate level of Dutch education. On Tuesday at Radboud University the focus was on the University level, where a melting p

EV retailers such as Tesla enjoy great profit margins at the cost of Chile and Argentina’s local communities and ecosystems, which they bleed dry. Pumping most of the region’s water into a never-ending desire for more lithium, at the expense of the earth’s future.

Balcon de Charles IX at the Louvre Museum How an eight-minute theft triggered €88 million in losses, an international scandal, and a wave of Halloween costumes. In under 8 minutes, the so-called Louvre Heist on October 19, 2025 , resulted in €88 million in losses, one attempted resignation, an international scandal, and an inspiration for countless 2025 Halloween costumes. Roughly half an hour after the museum opened its doors to Sunday visitors, two men dressed as constructi

© Photo by Vlad Nexperia, one of the largest semiconductor chip producers in Europe, was suddenly seized by the Dutch government. This intervention was justified on the grounds of an unacceptable amount of Chinese influence and strategic risk in the company. As a rebuttal, China has halted chip export to Europe. Causing shockwaves through industries which already have supply constraints. This leads to essential products being delayed or, in some cases, likely to disappear fro

Millions of visitors per year, some of the most important pieces of art in history, until one day, something disappears. And just like that, the Musée du Louvre  becomes the scene of a robbery. The loot? Well, if until a couple of months ago the only possible answer was the Mona Lisa , by Leonardo Da Vinci, on October 19 2025 everything changed. Eight pieces of jewelry were in fact stolen in broad daylight. At the moment, the value of the heist runs around 88 million euros, b

For more than a decade, low interest rates allowed growth firms to dominate while value, dividend, and defensive strategies fell behind. Now the AI-driven surge led by a few mega-caps has heightened concerns about concentration risk. With higher rates restoring the importance of cash flow, traditional approaches are regaining relevance. Growth leaders still outperform, but the gap is no longer widening, hinting at a subtle shift back toward steadier, cash-rich businesses.

Article about how does the "Performative Male" trend represents the societal shifts.

© Polina Zimmerman Beneath the surface of the Republican Party, a struggle is underway – a fight for the future of the MAGA movement. Despite what conservatives would like you to believe, Donald Trump remains a historically unpopular President . Less than a year into his second term, over 55% of U.S. voters disapprove of their President, with Trump’s net approval ratings (-15%) trailing far behind where Barack Obama (+9%) and Joe Biden (-8%) stood at the same point in their p

A philosophical debate between Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Source : Pexels/cottonbro studio In February 2026, Ireland’s 3-year trial for the Basic Income for Artists (BIA) scheme ends, with plans to create a permanent version of the program. The trial provided 2000 artists with 325 euros weekly, thus ensuring an income of 1500 euros monthly. The effects of the pilot scheme were significant, producing   socio-economic benefits amounting to 100 million euros as of Septe

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi unveils "Sanaenomics," a plan to revitalize the economy through strategic investment in AI and semiconductors. This evolution of Abenomics aims to boost growth, but faces challenges of stagnant wages and high public debt.

Vladimir Putin and Ursula von der Leyen at the International conference on Libya, 19 January 2020, http://kremlin.ru/ Russian Assets held in the European Union have been frozen by the EU for more than 3 years now. With recent plans outlined by Merz concerning the use of these assets and their inclusion in both EU- and American-led peace plans, their fate has re-entered the spotlight. Some people believe confiscation of these assets will form the basis of just reparations for

Credit: Press/ Spotify While listening to the iconic Oasis debut album, Definitely Maybe, I realised that Spotify Wrapped had arrived. Without much warning, Spotify released its Wrapped a few days ago, highlighting each user’s most-listened songs and artists of the past year. For die-hard music fans, this day is somewhat special, as it summarises their listening habits and offers insight into the past year in music. Spotify Wrapped has been a phenomenon for the past 9 years,

During crises, hiring goes through phases: At first, a freeze, then a tentative reactivation, but full recovery? A rarity. The job market simply reinvents itself, offering insights into how many structures and processes will change in the future. Companies often claim they   suffer from personnel shortages, yet millions of people struggle to find employment , regardless of their education. The coming year and the decade following will be defined by solving mismatches between

Having completed his Master's here at the UvA in Economics 30 years ago, Freek’s connection to the university is strong, underscoring that many areas of the campus have remained unchanged. Janmaat’s career began in advisory positions across different ministries of the Dutch government and ultimately led to his most intensive work at the European Commission. He currently serves as the Economic Counsellor, describing himself as the “eyes and ears” of the Commission in the Nethe

Billions once flowed into dot-com companies that ended in a market-wiping crash. Now AI stands in the spotlight. Are we witnessing the next biggest innovation, or yet another bubble ready to burst?

In debates about school curriculum planning, it is common to hear: “ philosophy is overly theoretical,” or even stronger claims: "it is detached from the practical realities of everyday life, it is useless”. In this sense, even if these claims were true and philosophy was, in fact, completely disconnected from the world, it does not imply that it is useless. Anyone who dares to practice it, soon discovers how intellectually stimulating philosophy can be. That being said, this

Article about how the green energy transition could be shaped by local citizens

Source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/euros-bill-digital-binary-null-5632480/ The preparation phase of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) plan to digitalise the euro has successfully concluded and is on track to be implemented by 2029. The digital euro is an electronic means of payment similar to banknotes and coins, issued by the central bank and available to everyone within the eurozone. The ECB argues that digitalisation would support financial inclusion, protect privac

Through an extended dialogue with contemporary artist Erin Ilkcan Aslan, this article examines how emotions, intuition, scarcity, reputation, and narrative influence the art market, just as much as pigments, canvas, or time.

Photo by UMA media Yesterday, many investors started celebrating Christmas early because Nvidia’s blockbuster Q3 earnings report hit the market. There was a lot of anticipation before the release, as Wall Street projected positive results that were not only confirmed but ultimately exceeded. Many experts suggest this report could trigger a continued surge in AI investment. However, what potential pitfalls can lurk beneath this rosy picture, and will the music really never sto

Power and Principles- this time with NATO (specifically the EU countries). Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-bunch-of-bullet-like-objects-on-a-blue-background--gk8BqMhYrw . I. A New Era of European Defence: Motives and Obstacles How is it that the subject of European rearmament has managed to find its way into domestic conversations with no accessible change in sight?  What happens when a soldier lies in the face of adversity and is made to follow an AI-generated respons

Breaking news... or is it anything unexpected? Newly released emails contain the first direct allegations of misconduct linked to Donald Trump's involvement with the convicted sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein. What does this entail for Trump and his administration? How is Washington reacting to this?

We all remember how Trump boasted that his friends made millions on the pause on tariffs in April. This led several Democrats to accuse Trump’s associates of insider trading (trading on non-public information). Needless to say, those claims were instantly denied. However, if they are ever proven right, there is still hope that justice will be served. The same can’t be said about a scandal that happened a couple of days ago… Source: Torok, D. (2025, April 2).  Trump showing a

Source: unsplash.com by Alex Knight 1. Introduction: A Utopian Socialist Future The International Monetary Fund has recently released estimates that AI could affect as much as “40 percent of jobs around the world,” with some roles being replaced and others enhanced to boost productivity. Furthermore, a 2023 study from OpenAI, OpenResearch, and the University of Pennsylvania have found that approximately 20 percent of U.S. job tasks may be exposed to AI. From an economic pers

Overview of the Mamdani policy, following his recent election.

Joint article with Ryan Dillmann Pexels/Creative Vix At the historic NATO summit in The Hague on 25 June 2025, alliance members agreed to raise direct defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, with an additional 1.5% allocated for civil preparedness, security infrastructure, and the defence industrial base by 2035. This decision has been the direct result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and various other world tensions, prompting a renewed need for rearmament. Outside