https://phys.org/science-news/economics-business/ en-us The latest news on economics research, business research, management sciences Improved methods for social and behavioral sciences research could help enhance public trust in science, says a new study that investigated the robustness of data analysis to understand whether it reliably stood the test of time. It did. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-science.html Social Sciences Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:40:01 EDT news695570281 If you can't get no satisfaction, then maybe it's because happiness does not only stem from pleasure or a meaningful existence. Instead, a new Simon Fraser University study suggests that freedom is the key to happiness. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-autonomy-key-happiness.html Social Sciences Wed, 15 Apr 2026 15:20:02 EDT news695474282 A University of Houston researcher and his collaborators have developed a mathematical model that helps identify whether a competitive environment is healthy, stagnant or skewed. Published in the journal npj Complexity, the study led by UH Computer Science Professor Ioannis Pavlidis presents a general, falsifiable framework for assessing competition quality and fairness. The model works by analyzing the statistical pattern of repeated success and reverse-engineering the kind of competitive system that produced it. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-mathematical-signature-competition-fair-winner.html Mathematics Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:20:05 EDT news694954861 A study of nearly 200,000 Amazon reviews shows that the usefulness of online product reviews depends not only on what is said, but on how the information is structured. The researchers, from the Universities of Cambridge and Queensland, studied Amazon reviews for products ranging from clothing to food to electronics. They found that how the information is organized matters as much as what is said, and that different review structures are more or less helpful, depending on how highly the reviewer has rated the product. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-online-sentiment-readers.html Economics & Business Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:10:01 EDT news694886461 Researchers at the University of Manchester have used artificial intelligence to uncover a complex picture behind England's long-running productivity puzzle, challenging the idea that the country's economic performance can be explained by a simple North-South divide. In a major study published in the Spatial Economic Analysis journal, Professor Cecilia Wong and Dr. Helen Zheng applied "GeoAI" techniques—combining geography and artificial intelligence—to analyze how productivity varies across local authorities in England between 2010 and 2022. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-reveals-england-productivity-complex.html Economics & Business Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:50:01 EDT news694258406 An individual's position in the income hierarchy is a stronger predictor of well-being than either how much they earn or how large the income gap is between them and others, finds new research from the University of Leeds, the University of Oxford and the University of Warwick. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that the strength of the relationship between income rank and well-being varies significantly depending on the social and cultural context in which people live—and that strong civic and community life can substantially reduce it. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-income-worldwide-social-capital-buffer.html Social Sciences Tue, 31 Mar 2026 17:50:01 EDT news694195081 Lil Miquela has 2.5 million Instagram followers, a high-fashion wardrobe, and a clear political voice. She has advocated for Black Lives Matter and the LGBTQI+ community, fronted major brand campaigns, and built a devoted global fanbase. She also has no pulse. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-millions-dont.html Social Sciences Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:40:05 EDT news694175161 When you go out to run errands on the weekend, you're on a "tour" as defined by human mobility researchers. Same if you book a guided tour of a famous city or take a trip on a cruise boat that reaches multiple ports. A characteristic of such tours is that you begin and end up in the same place and take intermediate stops along the way. The number of stops is the tour's "length." https://phys.org/news/2026-03-science-delivery.html Mathematics Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:20:02 EDT news694089403 Jack Welch, the legendary General Electric CEO, was infamous for firing the bottom 10% of his workforce every year, without exception. The company's market cap rose substantially during Welch's tenure, but his "rank and yank" ritual was divisive. If you knew your job was always on the line, the logic went, you would push harder and generate results. Yet what did this approach do to the employees who had to constantly compete with each other to keep their jobs? https://phys.org/news/2026-03-cooperative-workplaces-boost-freedom.html Social Sciences Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:40:08 EDT news693573181 Emotional Intelligence (EI) training can improve employee well-being and prevent burn-out in high-stress environments, University of Queensland research has found. Dr. Jemma King from UQ's School of Psychology said EI training has proven beneficial for high performance athletes, including Formula 1 drivers and crew in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, with potential for people in other workplaces. The study is published in the journal Scientific Reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-special-emotional-intelligence-boost-stress.html Social Sciences Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:40:01 EDT news693571741 A new study, led by the University of Nottingham and conducted by a team of 72 economists and psychologists across the world, has identified a potential "private solution trap" in problems requiring international cooperation such as climate change. Dr. Eugene Malthouse, Research Fellow in the university's School of Economics, led the international team of researchers, who invited participants from 34 countries to play a climate change game in small groups. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-private-solution-richer-countries-favor.html Economics & Business Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:00:01 EDT news693483062 New research from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) shows why widely used algorithms for measuring economic complexity produce trustworthy results and how these tools may benefit diverse areas such as ecology, social science, and agentic AI. The paper is published in the journal Physical Review E. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-global-lens-physics.html Mathematics Thu, 12 Mar 2026 19:20:01 EDT news692543746 Gender differences in poverty rates in the United States may be associated with women's differing circumstances—particularly the burden of dependent children—rather than inherent to gender itself, according to a study published in PLOS One by Patti Fisher of Virginia Tech, U.S. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-childcare-burden-gender-gap-poverty.html Social Sciences Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:00:13 EDT news692367481 Employment can be a powerful gateway to independence, dignity, and belonging. Yet for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), that gateway remains limited. Although work supports better health, social connection, and a sense of purpose, only about 15% of individuals with IDD are employed in competitive, integrated work settings. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-augmented-reality-job-boosts-people.html Economics & Business Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:40:01 EDT news692444443 More stock trading is moving away from traditional public stock exchanges and into places called "dark pools." These are private, electronic markets where investors buy and sell stocks without showing their orders to the public. Even as dark pools have grown increasingly popular, a recent study from the University of Missouri suggests they may make public stock markets less transparent and increase the risk of sudden stock price crashes. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-links-dark-pool-higher-sudden.html Economics & Business Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:20:01 EST news690730105 A new study finds entrepreneurs become more committed to their business ventures when they are told they will fail, increasing their efforts to make those businesses successful. "Most entrepreneurs—people who start their own businesses—actually identify with the business they're running," says Tim Michaelis, an assistant professor of psychology at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper on the work published in the Journal of Business Venturing. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-negativity-founders-links-greater-persistence.html Social Sciences Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:20:03 EST news690645973 Climate change is not just reshaping the planet, it's already affecting how people feel about their lives, their health and their financial security, according to a new study from the Universities of Portsmouth and Dundee. The research shows that prolonged changes in weather linked to climate change, particularly abnormal temperatures, are quietly but significantly undermining people's mental well-being and confidence about their finances, with effects equivalent to losing hundreds of pounds a month. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-worse-money-climate.html Social Sciences Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:08:14 EST news690635281 For years, Iceland, Switzerland, and Norway have ranked near the top of the United Nations' annual index of countries based on indicators of well-being and quality of life. Countries with more poverty and less access to health care and education tend to rank lower on the list, known as the Human Development Index, or HDI. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-satellite-imagery-ai-reveal-hidden.html Social Sciences Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:27:17 EST news690564421 Supermarket shelves can look full despite the food systems underneath them being under strain. Fruit may be stacked neatly, chilled meat may be in place. It appears that supply chains are functioning well. But appearances can be deceiving. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-humans-machines-truckloads-food-stranded.html Economics & Business Sat, 14 Feb 2026 16:00:01 EST news689956557 Hunter-gatherers like the Hadza of Tanzania are famous for their egalitarianism. A resource redistribution experiment conducted with the Hadza suggests many tolerate inequality—as long as it benefits themselves. Published in PNAS Nexus, Duncan N.E. Stibbard-Hawkes, Kris M. Smith, and colleagues asked 117 Hadza adults to redistribute food resources between themselves and an unspecified campmate after receiving either advantageous or disadvantageous initial allocations. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-egalitarianism-hunter-food-reveals.html Social Sciences Tue, 10 Feb 2026 13:20:02 EST news689945557 Why did the rotisserie chicken cross the aisle—and end up in your shopping cart? Maybe you grabbed the container that was closest to you, or maybe you examined all of the chickens, checking dates and timestamps to see when they were cooked. Markets follow various display strategies for prepared foods, with many stores making older items more visible so they'll be sold before they spoil. However, a theoretical model created by an NJIT researcher suggests that customers prefer finding the freshest items at the front of the displays. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-supermarkets-fresh-meals-front.html Economics & Business Sun, 08 Feb 2026 09:40:01 EST news689765594 Over the last several decades, urban planners and municipalities have sought to identify and better manage the socioeconomic dynamics associated with rapid development in established neighborhoods. The term "gentrification" has been lingua franca for generations of urbanites who have seen their communities change and property values, and commensurate taxes, shift in ways that can make it difficult for longtime residents to stay. But identifying its unmanaged creep can be a challenge, particularly in densely populated areas, as its visual hallmarks—such as new facades, mixes in building materials and changes in building heights—present differently in different cities and regions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-philadelphia-communities-ai-machine-gentrification.html Social Sciences Thu, 05 Feb 2026 14:20:06 EST news689519501 Ages ago, when societies were organized around small villages, a person's security and sense of belonging depended partly on how close they were to the village chiefs and elders. If the village was attacked, those closest to the powerful had a better chance of survival. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-volunteers-link-social-exclusion-higher.html Social Sciences Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:20:01 EST news689425586 California's most devastating wildfire—the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 and destroyed nearly 19,000 structures—forced nearly half of all residents living within designated fire perimeters to relocate within a year. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-neighborhood-insight-american-migration.html Social Sciences Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:02:19 EST news689346121 Researchers with Lehigh University's Center for Catastrophe Modeling and Resilience, led by anthropologist David G. Casagrande, have identified two urgent challenges the United States faces in adapting to climate change: a potential disaster insurance crisis and the lack of comprehensive relocation policies for communities facing chronic flooding. Their paper, titled "Climate Change and Insurance: Embracing Resilience for Private Market Survival," is published in Sustainable Development. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-resilience-bonds-solution-climate.html Economics & Business Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:56:35 EST news689270161 When a crowd gets something right, like guessing how many beans are in a jar, forecasting an election, or solving a difficult scientific problem, it's tempting to credit the sharpest individual in the room. But new research suggests focusing on the "expert" can lead groups astray. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-intelligence-incentivize-problem-groups.html Social Sciences Thu, 29 Jan 2026 14:40:03 EST news688919630 For millions of gig workers driving for companies such as Uber Eats, DoorDash and Deliveroo, there is no human manager to call, no supervisor to appeal to and no office to walk into. Decisions about pay, performance, penalties and access to work are made by algorithms. Increasingly, those algorithms are trying to explain themselves. This push towards "explainable AI" is often promoted as a way to improve fairness and trust. But new Macquarie University research suggests explaining too much can backfire. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-bosses-problem-gig-workers.html Economics & Business Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:00:01 EST news688816719 Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing our society and economy. A new study shows that the majority of people believe that artificial intelligence is displacing more human labor than it is creating new opportunities. Scientists at the University of Vienna and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) demonstrated a causal link: the stronger this perception, the more dissatisfied people are with democracy—and the less they participate in political debates about future technological developments. These effects occur even though artificial intelligence has had only a limited impact on the labor market so far. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ai-job-killer-negatively-attitudes.html Economics & Business Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:18:37 EST news688659481 When it comes to creative writing, score one for the humans over the machines. For now, anyway. New research finds that people evaluate creative writing less favorably when they learn it was generated in whole or part by artificial intelligence. And the anti-AI bias is persistent and difficult to reduce, even when steps were taken to lessen the aversion within the experiments. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-lit-bots-beware-ai-creative.html Social Sciences Mon, 26 Jan 2026 13:20:31 EST news688655942 Women perceive artificial intelligence (AI) as riskier than men do, according to a study. Beatrice Magistro and colleagues hypothesized that women are both more exposed to risk from AI and are more averse to risk in general than men. Their work was published in PNAS Nexus. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-women-ai-greater-skepticism-men.html Social Sciences Tue, 20 Jan 2026 10:30:43 EST news688127401