Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations have gained increasing significance in investment decision-making processes. Despite this heightened importance, investors often express concerns regarding the sufficiency and quality of firm-level ESG disclosures, which are crucial for making informed investment decisions. In response, several countries have implemented mandatory ESG disclosure regulations aimed at compelling firms to provide high-quality information on ESG-related issues. These regulations may require disclosures either alongside traditional financial reporting or through specialised standalone reports.

This study utilizes the administrative data of an innovation grant program in a major emerging economy to study which firms are best positioned to capture the state and access resources beyond what their rule-complying merits command. We trace the grant allocation process and directly observe occurrences of rule-violating funding. We show that firms vary in their capability to secure irregular awards, depending on factors such as geographic proximity and the social and bureaucratic setting within which entrepreneurs and officials interact.

High inflation emerged as a top concern for the U.S. economy in early 2022. While the inflation has come down a great deal, as of 2025 Q2, it remains somewhat above the Federal Reserve’s (the Fed) 2 percent longer-run objective. While the FOMC has been carrying out policies aiming at bringing inflation back down to its 2% target over the long run, headwinds caused by the new administrative change and global events (e.g., Israel Iran Conflict) have introduced new uncertainties into economic outlooks and policy calibration. This article is to give a brief summary of the 2025 Q2 U.S. economic

This study examines the impact of Singapore’s Home Office Scheme, a policy reform aimed at reducing barriers to home-based entrepreneurship by easing zoning restrictions. The scheme let entrepreneurs operate from their residences, offering financial and nonfinancial incentives that facilitated business creation, especially among low-income and female entrepreneurs. The study explores how the reform influenced firm entry, survival, and serial entrepreneurship, and its implications for regulatory policies supporting small-scale and home-based businesses in other jurisdictions.

In this study, the researchers conducted a comprehensive assessment of the rent reduction program widely implemented in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a unique and large database with detailed bill-level information on nearly 20,000 restaurants, the researchers derived details regarding the restaurants’ operational decisions and performance.

When institutional investors cast their votes against company directors, they increasingly do something that was once rare: they explain why. These “voting rationales” — brief written explanations accompanying dissenting votes — are emerging as a surprisingly effective tool for driving corporate governance reform, according to new research analyzing nearly 800,000 such disclosures.

The study investigated the influence of information on two-sided matching platforms where preference mismatch can be prevalent. Two-sided platforms or markets like Airbnb, Tinder, and others are characterised by different preferences held by each party involved, and a match occurs when both sides express mutual preference for each other. In practice, however, preference mismatch is common, complicating the matching process. The study uses a large dataset from an online dating platform in China to empirically examine how preference mismatches shape platform’s optimal information design and affect matching outcomes.

After several rounds of back-and-forth and maximum pressure, Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was narrowly passed by both US Houses of Congress last week, making it possible for him to sign the Act into law on Independence Day as he intended.