Imagine a stressed professional checking this month’s salary , rising worries about how bills are stacking up, but there’s nothing left to save or put to the side. Stressed by life, they turn to retail therapy for comfort. It never disappoints. Suddenly, the new matte absolute lipstick from a designer brand appears. For only €50! Against all rational odds, it will most likely be bought. Why do people spend on luxuries when logic says the opposite? © Pixabay What is the lipst

From Filipino citizens to a new UN body, the largest polluters are being challenged in ground-breaking ways. © Unsplash The shape of climate justice is changing across the globe. Citizens and national governments in countries faced by the damage of climate change are pushing back at corporations that contribute the most. These developments are becoming more common as it is now easier to measure how much man-made climate change has contributed to the likelihood of specific nat

Even though centuries separate them, seventeenth-century France and twenty-first-century Europe are confronted with the same question: should society place its faith in laissez-faire policies, or should the state intervene when faced with a macroeconomic problem? Across time, it seems the economy repeatedly falls into the same dilemma. In detail, throughout the 17th century, France, under the reign of Louis XIV, was involved in decades of continuous warfare, including the Th

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.

© 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

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.

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

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?

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

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