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Top headlines
Lead story
Let’s face it: The law isn’t always exciting. It’s slow, technical and full of fine print. Business, on the other hand, thrives on energy: bold bets, fast moves, disruptive change. But without the boring parts, the exciting stuff doesn’t work.
That’s the headline observation from Robert Bird, a professor of business law at the University of Connecticut, who notes that companies are increasingly worried about legal instability. If that surprises you, it shouldn’t: Capitalism and economic growth depend on the rule of law.
Drawing on centuries of legal thought, Bird shows that it’s not just red tape that chokes economic growth – it’s unpredictability. Without fair and consistent rules, property rights erode, companies can’t plan, investors won’t commit, and global partners start looking elsewhere. It turns out that capitalism might depend as much on order as it does on freedom.
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Capitalism works only when rules are enforced fairly and predictably.
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Robert Bird, University of Connecticut
Uncertainty is the new norm.
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Science + Technology
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Joshua Rovner, American University
A scholar of intelligence and strategy explains why battle damage assessments are so challenging – and why the process has become politicized.
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Olga Lazareva, Drake University
How researchers measure the logical reasoning of monkeys, pigeons, rats, fish and wasps shapes how they understand mental processes in animals − and in people.
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Beatrix Beisner, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); Maria Grigoratou, Umeå University; Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, Sorbonne Université; Susanne Menden-Deuer, University of Rhode Island
Plankton are vital to planetary and climate stability and are therefore important contributors to human well-being.
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Economy + Business
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Reid Kress Weisbord, Rutgers University - Newark; Naomi Cahn, University of Virginia
Choosing the right person to manage the assets you leave behind can be just as important as selecting who will inherit your property.
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Politics + Society
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Jade Craig, University of Mississippi
Municipal bonds are integral to Philly’s effort to make more affordable housing, but hidden costs and requirements can hurt taxpayers.
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Katherine Kinzler, University of Chicago
The US and other countries have a legal definition of citizenship, yet human psychology and identity politics result in ingrained biases over who truly belongs.
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Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels, University of Kent
Even if they don’t support the current administration, most Americans are not actually making plans to leave the country.
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Arts + Culture
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Rizwan Virk, Arizona State University
Three recent developments in AI – in video games, wearable technology and education – suggest that building something like Stephenson’s Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer is possible.
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