entrepreneurship

The United States is a country founded by immigrants, yet immigration has never failed to stir controversy. Much of the discussion centers on illegal immigration, but the number of people who arrive legally and their contributions to the U.S. economy — or their cost — has also elicited debate.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Colleen Casey, University of Texas at Arlington.

As U.S. states, cities and towns seek to promote economic growth by helping to foster new businesses and innovation, universities, colleges and regional knowledge centers have become a key area of focus for policy makers. Research shows that the dynamics are complex, however.

Organizations habitually shy away from adopting creative ideas, even though creativity is espoused as an essential driver of innovation, scientific breakthroughs, positive change, and even moral goodness. In other words, creativity is celebrated more than it is implemented, though it is not clear why this is the case.

Research has shown that fair-trade transactions — in which relatively wealthy global consumers purchase goods produced by less affluent producers — appeal to consumers’ ethical and altruistic impulses and can provide much-needed resources to producers. Inquiry has been limited, though, on the extent to which overall living standards among producers are truly improved. Marketing claims about the purported benefits of fair trade and its contribution to “ethical globalization” rest on related premises.