Why stigmatising UPFs could be doing more harm than good

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Beverley O’Hara, Lecturer in Nutrition, Leeds Beckett University

Evgeniia Trushkova/Shutterstock

The 2025 Joe Wicks documentary on “killer protein bars” highlights how even well-intentioned attempts to raise awareness about food can sometimes oversimplify complex public health issues. The show’s premise – to develop and market a supposedly “dangerous,” additive-laden “ultra-processed” food to prompt government action – aims to spark debate about the modern food system.

But framing foods as inherently “dangerous” risks distorting the science and adding to public confusion about nutrition.

Stoking fear around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) often provokes psychological resistance, leading people to ignore health messages altogether or, paradoxically, to double down on the behaviour being criticised. The “processed equals bad” narrative can also fuel guilt, anxiety and disordered eating and stigmatises foods that are widely eaten, particularly by people on lower incomes.




Read more:
Ultra-processed foods might not be the real villain in our diets – here’s what our research found


The misinformation in the show adds to what the World Health Organization calls an “infodemic” – the rapid spread of false or misleading health information. Nutrition has become one of the most misinformation-prone topics on social media, where personal opinion is often presented as scientific fact. A 2023 review found widespread inaccuracies in online dietary advice, adding to public confusion and distrust of science.

The evidence linking UPFs to poor health is far from conclusive. Systematic reviews show that many studies reporting associations between UPFs and disease rely on observational data rated as low or very low quality. This means it cannot prove that UPFs cause disease. The latest review of research found that the UPF category adds little scientific value when assessing links between diet and disease.

Yet even among scientists, there is no clear agreement on how to classify them. Research found that both consumers and nutrition experts struggled to consistently identify which foods met the criteria for being “ultra-processed”. Despite this uncertainty, around 65% of Europeans believe that UPFs are bad for their health.

Part of the problem lies in how the term is used. “Ultra-processed food” has become a catch-all phrase, often used to promote ideological views about modern food systems instead of being applied as a precise scientific category. The NOVA classification, which first introduced the concept, was intended as a research framework, not a moral ranking of foods. But, over time, it has been reinterpreted as a shorthand for “good” versus “bad” eating.

We have long understood that certain foods high in salt, sugar and saturated fat – traditionally called “junk food” – are not good for health. Rebranding these as UPFs adds little to that knowledge and risks distracting attention from the real structural issues that determine what people eat. These include the affordability of healthy foods, aggressive marketing of unhealthy ones and inequalities in time, income and access to cooking facilities.

Even governments can be influenced by simplistic narratives that attribute dietary problems to food processing itself rather than to social and economic policy. For example, critics argue that political discussions about banning UPFs can distract from more meaningful reforms that would make healthy foods affordable and accessible.

Why the UPF debate misses the point

Nutrition science is complex and evolves gradually. The anti-UPF narrative is appealing because it offers certainty in a world where people crave clear answers. But this makes the public especially vulnerable to misinformation. Turning preliminary findings into sensational headlines has always been profitable for the wellness industry. It sells books, builds brands and boosts online followings.

More concerning is how easily this kind of messaging drifts into conspiracy thinking, where “Big Food” and “Big Science” are portrayed as villains. Emotionally charged language, such as calling sugar “poison”, encourages fear and mistrust of science. The food industry becomes a caricature of evil, accused of deliberately creating “addictive” and “dangerous” foods to harm consumers.

This narrative is not only misleading but also harmful. It undermines legitimate food science and public health research that could help develop sustainable, nutritious options for the future. The same sector that produces unhealthy convenience foods also employs scientists and innovators working on healthier, more sustainable products.

The future of healthy eating will depend on technologies such as plant-based proteins, fermentation and novel food production methods. Creating fear around food processing discourages this progress and makes it harder to tackle global nutrition and climate challenges.

Time to move beyond the buzzword

Food choices are shaped not just by personal preference but by the systems people live in. Those with higher incomes and more flexibility can often resist systemic pressures. Most people cannot. For many households, processed foods provide convenience, affordability and stability. Shaming people for eating the foods they can afford or grew up with ignores the realities of everyday life.

A single parent working two jobs does not need to be told that their child’s breakfast cereal is “ultra-processed.” They need access to affordable, nutritious foods that fit their circumstances.

Public health communication requires expertise. A medical degree does not make someone a nutrition specialist, just as a dietitian would not claim to be a heart surgeon. Experts who speak publicly about nutrition should have appropriate qualifications and professional accreditation in public health nutrition.

People deserve advice that empowers them rather than confuses them. They need accurate, balanced information delivered by qualified professionals who understand the complexity of nutrition science. The way we talk about food matters. It shapes public opinion, health policy and the future of our food systems.

It may be time to move beyond the term “ultra-processed food.” What began as an attempt to describe modern diets has become a source of confusion, moral judgement and misplaced fear. The label no longer helps people make better choices. Instead, it risks turning important conversations about food, health and inequality into culture wars.

If we want to build a healthier and fairer food system, we must focus less on catchy labels and more on evidence, equity and education.

The Conversation

Beverley O’Hara does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ref. Why stigmatising UPFs could be doing more harm than good – https://theconversation.com/why-stigmatising-upfs-could-be-doing-more-harm-than-good-267711

Kim Kardashian’s brain aneurysm diagnosis: what it means and who is most at risk

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University

In the run up to the launch of the latest series of The Kardashians, her new legal drama All’s Fair and the celebrations for her 45th birthday, Kim Kardashian made a very different kind of headline. She revealed that she had been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm.

Kardashian revealed her diagnosis in a teaser for The Kardashians Season 7, which includes footage of her undergoing an MRI scan believed to have identified the condition. So far, no details have been released about the type, size or location of the aneurysm, or whether it required treatment. It’s therefore unclear whether the finding represents a serious health threat or an incidental discovery; something that’s becoming increasingly common as more people undergo full-body scans or imaging for other reasons.




Read more:
Full-body scans to look for hidden disease are a bad idea – here’s why


An aneurysm is a widening or bulging of any artery in the body. It most commonly occurs in the aorta (the body’s main artery), as well as in arteries of the limbs, neck and brain. When the swelling affects arteries in the brain, it is known as a cerebral aneurysm.

Brain aneurysms can have devastating effects. The nerve cells in the brain are not designed to come into direct contact with blood. To protect them, the brain has a natural defence system called the blood brain barrier, which carefully regulates what can and cannot pass from the bloodstream into brain tissue.

The largest risk factor of developing a brain aneurysm is being female. These aneurysms are around 60% more common in women than in men, and this increases further after menopause. Oestrogen helps to keep blood vessels flexible; when its levels fall after menopause, blood vessels become more vulnerable to damage.

A family history of aneurysms also increases risk. Someone who has two first-degree relatives – that’s parents, children or siblings – who have experienced a ruptured aneurysm has an 11% higher chance of developing one themselves. This is because genetic factors influence the structure and strength of blood vessel walls, making some people more vulnerable to weakness and damage.

This genetic link is also seen in several connective-tissue disorders which change the structure and function of artery walls, increasing the likelihood of an aneurysm. These include Ehlers Danlos syndrome, which causes overly stretchy skin and joints and weakens connective tissues, including those in blood vessels; Marfan syndrome, which often leads to long limbs, flexible joints and a higher risk of heart and blood vessel problems; Loeys Dietz syndrome, a rare condition that causes arteries to twist and widen; and Neurofibromatosis type 1, which causes non-cancerous growths along nerves and can weaken blood vessel walls.

Lifestyle factors can also play a role in increasing aneurysm risk. Current and former smoking are both strongly linked to weakened blood vessels. Quitting smoking reduces the risk, but it does not completely remove it when compared with those who have never smoked. High cholesterol can also damage blood vessels and raise the likelihood of an aneurysm.

In Kardashian’s case, she has mentioned stress as a contributing factor. Although stress itself does not directly cause aneurysms, it can increase blood pressure. Persistent high blood pressure, whether brought on by emotional stress or underlying health issues such as certain types of kidney disease, can weaken and damage blood vessel walls, making aneurysms more likely to develop.

Recreational drug use can also contribute to aneurysm risk, although there is no suggestion that this is relevant in Kardashian’s case. Cocaine raises blood pressure while narrowing blood vessels in the brain. These combined effects push pressure within the brain’s arteries even higher, increasing the chance of aneurysm formation and rupture. Amphetamine and methamphetamine have similar effects, altering blood vessel diameter, raising blood pressure and driving inflammation that weakens vessel walls. These processes contribute to aneurysm formation and an increased rate of progression and rupture.

When an aneurysm does form, its effects depend largely on where it develops and whether it ruptures, which can make symptoms unpredictable and sometimes difficult to recognise.

Ruptured cerebral aneurysms often begin with a small leak of blood that causes a sudden, severe headache, often described as “the worst headache of my life” or a thunderclap headache. This may serve as a warning sign of a larger rupture that could occur hours, days or even weeks later. Other symptoms can include uncoordinated movements, nausea, vomiting and sudden changes in consciousness.

Unruptured cerebral aneurysms tend to cause a wider range of symptoms because the effects depend on where the aneurysm is developing. Nerves responsible for vision, balance, hearing, swallowing and speech all run close to major blood vessels in the brain, so even a small change in pressure can have noticeable effects.

Vision problems are common, presenting as double or partial loss of sight. Eye pain or difficulty moving the eyes due to muscle weakness, a stiff neck and ringing in the ears may also occur. Less common symptoms include neck pain and difficulty swallowing.

Because these symptoms overlap with many other conditions, diagnosing an aneurysm can be challenging. Unruptured aneurysms often grow slowly and may not cause symptoms until they reach a certain size, while ruptured aneurysms appear suddenly and require emergency treatment.

Once discovered, aneurysms are measured and categorised. The smaller the aneurysm, the lower the risk of rupture. Those with a diameter under 7mm are least likely to rupture, those between 7mm and 12mm are considered medium, 12mm to 25mm are large, and anything over 25mm is classed as giant. The size and location of the aneurysm are key factors in determining its risk. Aneurysms on arteries at the base of the brain carry a higher chance of rupture.

Treatment depends on individual circumstances, and not all aneurysms require intervention. In fact, many people live healthily with small aneurysms without ever realising they have them. There are growing detection rates as imaging becomes more common and less invasive, and AI is also being used to improve accuracy. Small, symptom-free aneurysms are often monitored with regular imaging scans, especially in people with few additional risk factors. Treating underlying conditions such as high blood pressure can reduce the risk of rupture.

Those cerebral aneurysms that rupture or are at high risk of rupture require surgical intervention. The two most common procedures are clipping and endovascular repair. Clipping is a more invasive operation that involves opening the skull to access the aneurysm directly, and it is better suited to certain aneurysm locations.

Endovascular repair is less invasive and involves inserting a catheter through a blood vessel in the leg, guiding it into place and delivering a coil that prevents blood from entering the aneurysm. These coils are usually made of platinum and measure between half the width of a human hair to twice the width.

Because aneurysms are often silent until they reach a critical point, any sudden or unexplained neurological symptoms should always be assessed by a medical professional.

The Conversation

Adam Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ref. Kim Kardashian’s brain aneurysm diagnosis: what it means and who is most at risk – https://theconversation.com/kim-kardashians-brain-aneurysm-diagnosis-what-it-means-and-who-is-most-at-risk-268397

« Pas dans ma cour » : Les deux faces du NIMBYisme québécois

Source: The Conversation – in French – By Christophe Premat, Professor, Canadian and Cultural Studies, Stockholm University

Écoutez cet article en version audio générée par l’IA.

Au Québec, les citoyens disposent d’un pouvoir municipal rare au Canada : celui de bloquer par référendum des projets d’urbanisme dans leur quartier. Ce mécanisme de démocratie directe, inscrit dans la Loi sur l’aménagement et l’urbanisme depuis les années 1970, est à double tranchant : il permet une implication citoyenne forte, mais peut aussi paralyser des initiatives nécessaires pour lutter contre la crise du logement.

Les référendums municipaux s’inscrivent dans une tradition de participation citoyenne ancrée dans la culture politique québécoise. On remarque néanmoins que la participation à ces scrutins est souvent faible, tandis que le pouvoir de blocage est puissant.

En tant que spécialiste des études canadiennes, je m’intéresse depuis ma thèse de science politique aux procédures de participation citoyenne, et tout particulièrement à la tension entre démocratie participative et démocratie directe.

Cet article fait partie de notre série Nos villes d’hier à demain. Le tissu urbain connaît de multiples mutations, avec chacune ses implications culturelles, économiques, sociales et – tout particulièrement en cette année électorale – politiques. Pour éclairer ces divers enjeux, La Conversation invite les chercheuses et chercheurs à aborder l’actualité de nos villes.

Tourisme et démocratie locale : la leçon de Petite-Rivière-Saint-François

En 2022, la municipalité de Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, dans Charlevoix, a organisé un référendum local visant l’assouplissement de deux règlements de zonage relatifs aux résidences de tourisme.

Le résultat a été sans appel, puisque plus de 70 % des électeurs ont voté contre l’assouplissement des règles qui aurait permis d’accueillir davantage de chalets locatifs près du Massif. Le message des citoyens était clair : préserver la qualité de vie et le caractère du territoire face à une pression touristique jugée excessive.

Le scrutin a eu un effet immédiat avec le rejet des règlements, stoppant ainsi un projet de développement.




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À Québec, un vote favorable à la ville compacte

Deux ans plus tard, à Québec, dans l’arrondissement de Charlesbourg, le projet Maria-Goretti a connu une issue inverse.

Près de la moitié des électeurs de la zone concernée se sont déplacés pour voter, et cette fois, la majorité a approuvé le projet résidentiel soumis à approbation référendaire.

L’administration municipale a salué le résultat comme un signe d’adhésion à une densification maîtrisée, alors que les opposants y voyaient un précédent inquiétant pour le patrimoine local.

Au Québec, l’urbanisme passe aussi par les urnes

Ces deux exemples illustrent la vitalité – mais aussi les tensions – de la démocratie urbaine au Québec.

Contrairement à la plupart des provinces canadiennes, où les projets d’urbanisme sont décidés par les conseils municipaux sans recours direct aux électeurs, le Québec conserve des mécanismes d’approbation référendaire hérités de la Loi sur l’aménagement et l’urbanisme (LAU).

Les citoyens qui s’estiment lésés par un projet peuvent demander l’ouverture d’un registre, recueillir des signatures, et si le seuil requis est atteint, déclencher un vote.




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Crise du logement : alors que l’État se désengage, une entraide de proximité permet d’éviter le pire


Participation ou paralysie ? Le dilemme des référendums d’urbanisme au Québec

Ce dispositif, qui remonte aux années 1970, repose sur une idée forte : permettre à ceux qui habitent un quartier de participer à la décision sur son avenir. Mais il est aujourd’hui au cœur d’un débat : favorise-t-il réellement la démocratie, ou crée-t-il des zones de veto locales capables de bloquer toute initiative de densification ?

Le paradoxe tient à la fois dans la mobilisation et dans la portée.

Lorsqu’un vote a lieu, la participation dépasse rarement 50 %. Pourtant, un petit nombre d’électeurs peut décider du sort d’un projet d’intérêt collectif. En 2017, le gouvernement du Québec a tenté de moderniser ces procédures avec le projet de loi 122, qui visait à donner plus d’autonomie aux municipalités et à encourager d’autres formes de participation.

Plusieurs villes ont alors remplacé les référendums par des consultations publiques plus ouvertes, misant sur la pédagogie et le dialogue.

L’Office de consultation publique de Montréal

C’est le cas de Montréal, où l’Office de consultation publique (OCPM) organise régulièrement des audiences sur les grands projets urbains.




À lire aussi :
Élections municipales : les enjeux des villes changent, mais pas leurs pouvoirs


Des centaines de citoyens peuvent y soumettre des mémoires, participer à des ateliers, ou voter dans le cadre de budgets participatifs.

En 2021, plus de 20 000 Montréalais ont pris part à un vote en ligne pour choisir les projets d’aménagement financés par la ville – un chiffre sans précédent pour une initiative locale.


Déjà des milliers d’abonnés à l’infolettre de La Conversation. Et vous ? Abonnez-vous gratuitement à notre infolettre pour mieux comprendre les grands enjeux contemporains.


La consultation plutôt que le référendum

À Boisbriand, la municipalité a choisi de multiplier les consultations plutôt que de déclencher des votes formels, afin d’éviter que quelques dizaines de signatures ne suffisent à bloquer un règlement.

Mais le référendum local conserve une charge symbolique forte.

Dans un contexte de méfiance croissante envers les promoteurs immobiliers, il apparaît comme le dernier rempart pour protéger les citoyens contre des décisions jugées opaques.

Le NIMBYisme à la québécoise : entre défense du cadre de vie et justice sociale

Cette défiance s’exprime aussi face aux élus municipaux, souvent perçus comme trop proches des intérêts privés. Le « non » devient alors une manière de reprendre le contrôle du territoire, de ralentir un rythme de transformation jugé trop rapide.

Ce réflexe de défense du cadre de vie est parfois associé au NIMBYisme, acronyme de « Not In My Backyard ».

L’expression désigne ceux qui soutiennent les politiques publiques en général, mais refusent leur application à proximité de chez eux. On parle souvent de NIMBYs « de droite », attachés à la valeur foncière de leur propriété et hostiles à la densification.

Mais le Québec voit émerger une autre forme de contestation, un NIMBYisme « de gauche », ancré dans la critique de la spéculation immobilière et de l’embourgeoisement. Les opposants ne défendent plus seulement leur jardin, mais aussi le droit au logement, la mixité sociale et la préservation du patrimoine collectif.

Bâtiment en briques brunes couvert de graffitis
Craignant l’embourgeoisement du quartier Mile End, 67 % des 10 732 répondants se sont exprimés contre le projet de reconversion de l’entrepôt Van Horne proposé par le promoteur en 2023.
Frank DiMauro | Facebook

Référendums, NIMBYisme et crise du logement : un équilibre impossible ?

Ces deux visages du NIMBYisme se croisent et s’affrontent souvent dans les débats municipaux.

Un même projet peut être rejeté pour des raisons très différentes : les uns craignent la hausse du trafic ou la perte d’intimité, les autres redoutent l’arrivée de condominiums de luxe chassant les locataires modestes. La frontière entre conservatisme local et résistance progressiste devient floue, et le référendum en est le miroir.

Dans un contexte de crise du logement, cette ambivalence devient un enjeu politique majeur. Les gouvernements municipaux et provinciaux doivent arbitrer entre la participation et l’efficacité. Trop de recours citoyens peuvent ralentir des projets nécessaires, tandis que trop peu de recours risquent de creuser le fossé entre élus et habitants.

Les maires, eux, se retrouvent pris entre deux feux : on leur reproche à la fois de céder aux promoteurs et de ne pas aller assez vite pour répondre à la demande.




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Pour les villes, finis les projets flamboyants, l’ère est à l’entretien, la consolidation et la résilience


Sortir de l’impasse

Plusieurs villes expérimentent des dispositifs de co-construction : jurys citoyens, laboratoires urbains, consultations hybrides.

Ces formes de participation ne remplacent pas le vote, mais cherchent à l’enrichir. Elles permettent d’impliquer les habitants dès la conception d’un projet, avant que les positions ne se figent dans un « oui » ou un « non ». L’enjeu n’est pas de supprimer la démocratie directe, mais de la rendre plus délibérative, moins défensive.

Les référendums municipaux québécois rappellent que la démocratie locale n’est jamais acquise. Ils traduisent à la fois une volonté d’autonomie citoyenne et une peur de perdre le contrôle face à des transformations urbaines rapides. Dans une époque où les villes se densifient, où le logement devient un bien rare, cette tension est inévitable.

Plutôt que de l’opposer, il s’agit d’en faire le moteur d’un nouveau pacte urbain où la parole des habitants pèse sans pour autant paralyser l’action collective.

La Conversation Canada

Christophe Premat est professeur en études culturelles francophones et directeur du Centre d’études canadiennes de l’Université de Stockholm. Il est membre de l’Association Internationale des Études Québécoises depuis 2023. Il est l’auteur d’une thèse de science politique sur “la pratique du référendum local en France et en Allemagne” soutenue en 2008 à l’Institut d’études politiques de Bordeaux.

ref. « Pas dans ma cour » : Les deux faces du NIMBYisme québécois – https://theconversation.com/pas-dans-ma-cour-les-deux-faces-du-nimbyisme-quebecois-267907

Quand la Constitution québécoise ignore les peuples autochtones

Source: The Conversation – in French – By Karine Millaire, Professeure adjointe en droit constitutionnel et autochtone, Université de Montréal

La Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) projette non seulement d’imposer une Constitution du Québec aux Premières Nations et Inuit, mais en plus le projet de loi s’inscrit en contradiction avec les droits des Autochtones garantis par la Constitution canadienne. Adopter une telle approche en 2025 ignore des droits constitutionnels bien reconnus, reproduit la vieille approche coloniale et constitue une grave erreur juridique comme historique.

Il y a plus de 40 ans, on enchâssait dans la Constitution canadienne l’article 35 de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1982. Cette disposition garantit les droits des peuples autochtones issus de traités et leurs droits ancestraux. Le projet de Constitution de la CAQ en fait complètement fi. Aucune disposition du projet de loi déposé ne traite des droits constitutionnels autochtones. Plus encore, les quelques mentions des Premières Nations et Inuit au préambule du projet de loi 1, Loi constitutionnelle de 2025 sur le Québec, sont de nature à minimiser des droits pourtant clairement reconnus.

On y mentionne en effet les Autochtones pour affirmer qu’ils « existe[nt] au sein du Québec ». On ne reconnaît pas qu’il s’agit de « peuples », contrairement à la Déclaration des Nations unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones de 2007, mais plutôt de simples « descendants des premiers habitants du pays ». On désigne même nos nations sous des appellations coloniales francisées, rappelant le processus d’effacement des noms de nos ancêtres.

Le projet de loi affirme l’« intégrité territoriale » ainsi que la « souveraineté » culturelle et parlementaire du Québec. Les Autochtones ne pourraient selon ce projet de Constitution que « maintenir et développer leur langue et leur culture d’origine ». Autrement dit, les droits territoriaux et de gouvernance garantis en vertu de l’article 35 de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1982 sont complètement ignorés, voire niés.

L’imposition coloniale des « droits collectifs » de la « nation québécoise » sur les droits collectifs et fondamentaux des peuples autochtones est également affirmée par des dispositions d’interprétation spécifiques. Alors que les droits des Premières Nations et Inuits sont réduits, on précise que ceux de la nation québécoise « s’interprètent de manière extensive ».

De plus, on propose la création d’un Conseil constitutionnel ayant pour mandat d’interpréter la Constitution du Québec. Or, les facteurs explicitement précisés dont devrait tenir compte ce Conseil ne portent que sur les droits et « caractéristiques fondamentales du Québec », son « patrimoine commun », son « intégrité territoriale », ses « revendications historiques », son « autonomie » et son « économie ». Pas une seule mention ici de l’existence des peuples autochtones ou de leurs droits.

Les Wendat, Kanien’keháka (Mohawk), Attikamekw, Anishinaabe, Cris (Eeyou Istchee), Abénakis, Mi’kmaq, Innus, Naskapis, Wolastoqiyik et Inuit n’existent pas sur un territoire « appartenant » au Québec. C’est le Québec qui existe sur les territoires dont ces nations sont les gardiennes et pour lesquels nous avons une responsabilité commune. Nos droits ne sauraient être effacés à nouveau en 2025 par ce projet de Constitution du Québec.

La Cour suprême et les tribunaux du Québec comme d’ailleurs au pays reconnaissent de façon constante que les peuples autochtones ont une souveraineté préexistante à celle imposée historiquement par la Couronne, c’est-à-dire une souveraineté qui existait bien avant les débats sur l’autonomie du Québec au Canada. Cette souveraineté existe toujours et doit être réconciliée avec celle de l’État dans un esprit de « justice réconciliatrice ».

Il en découle des droits concrets en matière de consultation, de consentement, d’autonomie gouvernementale. Aucune dérogation à ces droits n’est possible, contrairement aux droits et libertés visés par la clause dérogatoire de l’article 33 de la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés.

Or, la CAQ souhaite mettre à l’abri de contestations constitutionnelles toute disposition législative qui « protège la nation québécoise ainsi que l’autonomie constitutionnelle et les caractéristiques fondamentales du Québec » en interdisant toute contestation judiciaire d’un organisme qui utiliserait pour ce faire des fonds publics du Québec. Fort nombreuses sont les organisations qui reçoivent des fonds publics, incluant celles ayant justement la mission publique de protéger la société contre les actions illégales ou délétères de l’État. Il s’agit d’un des fondements de l’État de droit.

Du point de vue autochtone, cette interdiction rappelle l’époque coloniale où il était interdit aux Premières Nations de contester les actions illégales de l’État qui avaient pour but de les déposséder de leurs terres, de nier leurs droits et de les assimiler. Cette mesure a participé au génocide des peuples autochtones au Canada.




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Le projet de loi sur le régime forestier est un important recul pour les droits des Autochtones


Un projet de loi qui s’ajoute à d’autres violations de droits par Québec

Ce projet de Constitution du Québec s’ajoute à plusieurs autres atteintes claires aux droits autochtones. Pensons à la contestation de Québec de la loi fédérale reconnaissant le droit inhérent des peuples autochtones de mettre en place leurs propres politiques familiales et de protection de la jeunesse. La Cour suprême lui a donné tort et a confirmé la constitutionnalité de la loi fédérale.

La CAQ a aussi refusé d’exclure les étudiants autochtones des règles de renforcement de la Charte de la langue française (projet de loi 96), alors que les langues autochtones ne menacent pas le français. Cette décision accroît les obstacles aux études supérieures et limite les droits de gouvernance en éducation des peuples autochtones. La contestation de la constitutionnalité de la loi québécoise est en cours.

Enfin, pensons au récent projet de loi 97 visant à réformer le régime forestier, lequel avait été sévèrement critiqué. Celui-ci proposait un retour en arrière et rappelait l’approche préconisée au début de la colonisation du territoire, alors que l’industrie jouait un rôle accru en matière de gouvernance du territoire. Le projet de loi a finalement été abandonné fin septembre, mais il aura fallu que les peuples autochtones se battent à nouveau pour faire respecter leurs droits.

Moderniser la Constitution du Québec pour respecter les droits des Autochtones

Le contexte n’est plus le même qu’à la fondation du pays en 1867 ou lors des discussions des années 1980 ayant précédé le rapatriement de la Constitution. En 2025, il ne serait ni légal, ni légitime, d’adopter une Constitution du Québec ignorant les droits des Autochtones.

Une Constitution québécoise doit minimalement reconnaître les mêmes droits ancestraux et issus de traités que ceux protégés par la Constitution canadienne et les décisions des tribunaux en la matière. Cela inclut des droits de gouvernance notamment quant au territoire.

De plus, la Charte des droits et libertés de la personne est silencieuse sur les droits autochtones. L’article 10 garantissant le droit à l’égalité devrait être modifié pour indiquer que l’identité et le statut autochtone sont des motifs de discrimination spécifiquement prohibés au Québec. Cette Charte devrait également reconnaître expressément le droit à la sécurité culturelle afin que toute personne autochtone ait accès aux services publics de façon équitable. Ces changements permettraient qu’un mandat conséquent soit donné à la Commission des droits de la personne pour agir afin d’enrayer cette discrimination.


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Le Québec doit également mettre en œuvre la Déclaration des Nations unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones. Le Canada fait partie de nombreux pays qui se sont engagés à le faire et nos tribunaux ont commencé à s’y référer. La Déclaration exige de construire avec les peuples autochtones les politiques qui touchent à leurs droits, de respecter leur consentement et leur autonomie ainsi que le droit d’avoir accès aux services publics sans discrimination, à l’instar du Principe de Joyce.

Le projet de Constitution de la CAQ ne correspond en rien à ce qu’un véritable processus constituant doit faire. Ni les Québécois ni les peuples autochtones ne participent à cette démarche. Une Constitution devrait être pensée pour au moins les sept prochaines générations, comme nous l’enseignent les Aînés, et non en vue de la prochaine élection.

La Conversation Canada

Karine Millaire est Présidente bénévole de Projets Autochtones du Québec, une organisation assurant des services d’hébergement et d’autonomisation aux personnes autochtones en situation de précarité à Tiohtià:ke (Montréal). À titre de professeure universitaire, elle reçoit du financement du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada.

ref. Quand la Constitution québécoise ignore les peuples autochtones – https://theconversation.com/quand-la-constitution-quebecoise-ignore-les-peuples-autochtones-268329

La conversación docente: no pregunte a la IA lo que puede hacer por usted

Source: The Conversation – (in Spanish) – By Eva Catalán, Editora de Educación, The Conversation

Stokkete/Shutterstock CC BY

La frase de nuestro título: “No pregunte a la IA qué puede hacer por usted…”, además de parafrasear a Kennedy, apunta a una cuestión básica respecto al papel de la inteligencia artificial en la educación: entender en qué nos ayuda y en qué nos perjudica su uso. Hoy traigo perspectivas nuevas y propuestas concretas, como siempre, para usar en la clase, tanto de secundaria como de universidad.

La IA llegó al panorama educativo con la promesa de personalizar el aprendizaje, facilitando de esta manera el rendimiento de los estudiantes más rezagados. Pero una reciente investigación de María Luisa Fanjul Fernández, Francisco José Pradana Pérez y Joaquín Pérez Martín de la Universidad Europea ha comprobado que esta tecnología no reduce la brecha entre estudiantes “buenos” o “malos”. Los que ya tienen buenos hábitos de estudio son los que consiguen profundizar en los contenidos, mejorar su comprensión y desarrollar nuevas competencias gracias a la IA. El resto piensa sobre todo en ahorrar tiempo: algunos para mejorar productividad (aunque no las notas) y otros simplemente por esforzarse menos.

“De esta manera, lejos de igualar oportunidades, esta herramienta puede ampliar la brecha educativa. Por ejemplo, hemos visto que entre los estudiantes con mejor rendimiento, el 72 % asegura revisar o contrastar siempre la información generada por la IA. Entre los de peor rendimiento, solo el 28 % lo hace”, advierten los autores.

La mente humana adora los atajos. Está en nuestro ADN. Que los universitarios no prioricen aprender más y mejor es un problema de actitud y objetivos. Aquellos que se apoyen demasiado en la inteligencia artificial, aunque saquen el grado, no saldrán igual de preparados. ¿Qué pasa en secundaria? Las mentes de los adolescentes están en pleno crecimiento, y hay tareas escolares que precisamente contribuyen a ese desarrollo cognitivo. ¿Qué hacemos para convencerles de que no les compensa, y para demostrarles cómo sí pueden hacerlo bien?Por ejemplo: leer un libro y resumirlo. En su artículo, Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, explica lo que aporta esta tarea escolar al cerebro desde el punto de vista cognitivo, pero también emocional y metacognitivo. Ahorrar tiempo está muy bien cuando tenemos encima una fecha de entrega, pero, advierte esta experta, “conviene pararse a analizar en qué estamos ahorrando exactamente y cuáles son las contrapartidas”.

Coinciden con ella Jorge Chauca García, de la Universidad de Málaga, que ofrece ejemplos concretos de qué sí se puede hacer con la inteligencia artificial en la asignatura de Historia en secundaria y Bachillerato; y Luis Daniel Lozano Flores, de la Universidad de Guadalajara México, que insiste en esta idea: la tecnología potencia nuestras capacidades, pero para que no acabe sustituyéndolas, tenemos que ser estratégicos. Resumiento: no es lo que puede hacer por nosotros la IA, es lo que nosotros podemos hacer con ella.

Otros temas de interés de esta quincena tienen que ver con la diferencia entre enseñar y adoctrinar, estudiar un grado o máster en otro idioma, y cómo fomentar la autoconfianza de las niñas en matemáticas para reducir la brecha de género en esta disciplina. Espero que los disfruten. Para quienes viven en Madrid (o también para los que no, porque estará disponible en streaming), no quiero dejar pasar la oportunidad de animarles a acudir a nuestro encuentro en el Espacio Telefónica con el experto en neuroeducación David Bueno. Hablaremos del bienestar digital de los niños y los adolescentes, del papel que puede o debería tener la tecnología en el aprendizaje, y de cómo puede mejorar la enseñanza aplicando lo que sabemos del desarrollo cognitivo infantil y adolescente.

The Conversation

ref. La conversación docente: no pregunte a la IA lo que puede hacer por usted – https://theconversation.com/la-conversacion-docente-no-pregunte-a-la-ia-lo-que-puede-hacer-por-usted-268371

Woven baskets aren’t just aesthetically pleasing – materials science research finds they’re sturdier and more resilient than stiff containers

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Guowei (Wayne) Tu, Ph.D. Student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan

Woven fabric is resilient to stress because it tends to bend more than rigid materials before breaking. Jordan Lye/Moment via Getty Images

People have been using flat, ribbonlike materials, such as reed strips, to make woven baskets for thousands of years. This weaving method has reemerged as a technique for engineers to create textile and fabric structures with complex geometry. While beautiful and intricate, these baskets can also be surprisingly strong.

We are a team of structures and materials scientists at the University of Michigan. We wanted to figure out how basketlike structures that use traditional weaving techniques can be so sturdy, load-bearing and resilient.

To explore the resilience of baskets, we designed a series of small woven units that can be assembled into larger structures. These woven designs provide almost the same stiffness as nonwoven structures, such as plastic bins. They also do not fracture and fail when bent and twisted the way nonwoven, continuous systems (made out of a continuous sheet material) do.

Our basketlike woven structures have many potential applications, including tiny robots that are very damage resilient – these robots can be run over by a car and still do not fail. We could also make woven clothes to help protect people from severe impacts such as car crashes. We made these woven structures using Mylar (a type of polymer material), wood and steel.

A pile of woven baskets
Basket weaving as a practice has been around for centuries.
Mlenny/iStock via Getty Images

Testing woven baskets

Early humans made baskets by weaving slender strips of bark or reeds, and some Indigenous societies use these techniques today. Basket weaving was an efficient way to turn one-dimensional strips into three-dimensional containers.

This geometric benefit is a direct motivation for basket weaving, but in our study published in August 2025 in Physical Review Research, we wanted to find out whether basket weaving can provide more than aesthetic value in modern science and engineering.

In our experiment, we compared woven and nonwoven containers that had the same overall shape and were fabricated using the same amount and type of materials.

The “ribbons” we used were 10 millimeters wide and two-tenths of a millimeter thick. They were always woven in the same over/under/over/under pattern. We wove baskets from the flat ribbons and then created models using 3D scans of these woven containers that helped us examine the underlying similarities and differences between the woven and continuous structures.

We found that these containers had similar stiffness to containers not made from woven materials, and they also went back to their initial shape after we bent or twisted them.

A figure with three panels, the first shows two nearly identical boxes, one woven and one continuous (non-woven). The second panel shows both boxes being twisted and squished. The third shows both structure afterwards. The woven has retained its shape while the continuous looks squished and twisted.
When comparing rectangular boxes made of woven sheets of Mylar polyester ribbons and a continuous sheet of the same material, the woven structure could still bear a load after undergoing compression (axial buckling) and twisting (torsional buckling), while the continuous sheet could not. These structures are made of Mylar (a type of polymer material).
Tu & Filipov, 2025

When you place a heavy object on a woven structure, the ribbons are mainly being stretched instead of bent. This stretching makes them stiff because ribbons are much stiffer when they are stretched compared to bent. On top of that, the ribbons are not rigidly connected in woven structures, which gives them their extraordinary resilience.

By harnessing basket-weaving techniques, engineers can potentially create better materials for cars, consumer devices such as smartwatches, and soft robots, which are robots made from soft materials instead of rigid ones. Essentially, these techniques could improve any device when the material needs to be stiff and resilient.

What’s next

Our research team is still exploring a few big, unanswered questions about these woven baskets.

First, we want to understand how the geometry of the woven baskets determines their stiffness and resilience, and create an analytical or numerical model to describe this relationship. We’d then like to use that model to design woven structures that fit a target stiffness and resilience. Most woven baskets are handmade because their geometry is complex and difficult for a machine to manufacture.

Second, we’d like to figure out how to create a machine that can fabricate woven baskets autonomously. Automated machines can produce two-dimensional woven fabrics, but we’d like to learn how to modernize and digitalize the ancient craft of three-dimensional basket weaving.

Third, we want to understand how to integrate electronic materials into three-dimensional basket weaving to create next-generation robotic textiles. These robotic textiles could sense, actuate, move around, bear a load, stay resilient to accidental overload and safely interact with humans at the same time.

Basket-weaving research and applications

Ours isn’t the only study exploring the complex geometry of basket weaving and the potential of applying basket-weaving techniques to architectural design.

For example, researchers teamed up with an artist to tweak a popular basket-weaving approach, finding ways to weave the ribbons and produce any curvature they desired. Later, the same research team used this methodology to fabricate woven domes. They found that they could tune the stiffness and stability of woven domes by varying the curvature of the ribbons.

In another relevant study, researchers built algorithms that optimized the size, shape and curvature of ribbons, then used those ribbons to weave together a geometrically sophisticated structure.

Our new work and these other teams’ work is putting a modern spin on technology that has likely been around since the dawn of humanity.

The Conversation

Evgueni Filipov has received research funding from AFOSR.

Guowei (Wayne) Tu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ref. Woven baskets aren’t just aesthetically pleasing – materials science research finds they’re sturdier and more resilient than stiff containers – https://theconversation.com/woven-baskets-arent-just-aesthetically-pleasing-materials-science-research-finds-theyre-sturdier-and-more-resilient-than-stiff-containers-265567

The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant housing policy reflects a long history of xenophobia in public housing

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rahim Kurwa, Associate professor of Sociology, University of Illinois Chicago

An aerial view of a housing development Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 8, 2025. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The U.S. housing market has been ensnared in a growing affordability crisis for decades.

The problem has gotten dramatically worse in recent years. Since 2019, home prices are up 60% nationwide. A record-high 22 million renters are “cost-burdened” – spending more than 30% of their income on housing.

Meanwhile, stagnant wages, limited housing supply and lagging federal assistance have helped leave more than 770,000 Americans homeless.

Despite these varied reasons, Vice President JD Vance has blamed the housing affordability crisis on undocumented immigrants. In August 2025, he attributed rising housing costs to immigration: “You cannot flood the United States of America with … people who have no legal right to be here, have them compete against young American families for homes, and not expect the price to skyrocket.”

Deportations, he argued, would lower housing prices. “Why has housing leveled off over the past six months? I really believe the main driver is … negative net migration.”

Despite Vance’s claims, research shows that immigration is not a substantial cause of unaffordable housing. In fact, studies have found that deportations exacerbate housing shortages through reductions in the construction workforce, which lead to lower production of housing units and higher prices.

From this perspective, its hard to see the administration’s deportation policy as a real effort to solve the housing crisis. Rather, it is using the housing crisis as a way to justify mass deportations to the public.

The current administration’s anti-immigrant housing policy reflects a long history of xenophobia in housing. As a sociologist of housing, I’ve traced the history of racial segregation in housing in Los Angeles County. I have found that the same far-right groups that sought to defeat public housing construction and maintain racially restrictive agreements in post-World War II Los Angeles also advocated to ban immigrants from U.S. housing programs.

Earlier anti-immigrant housing plans

Among the leaders of these efforts was the far-right politician and activist Gerald L.K. Smith. Described in 1976 by historian John Morton Blum as “the most infamous American fascist,” Smith helped bridge the American right’s 1940s conspiratorial and isolationist America First era and its 1960s anti-civil rights era.

Smith traveled the country advocating a Christian nationalist vision for American society, offering a religious justification for anti-communism and opposition to civil rights. He also ran for president unsuccessfully in 1944, 1948 and 1956.

A black and white photo shows a man in a suit, right hand raised, speaking in front of a table.
Gerald L.K. Smith speaks in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 7, 1936.
Library of Congress, CC BY

After settling in Los Angeles in 1953, Smith led Red Scare campaigns – driven by hostility to communism – across the country.

In my research, I found that Smith was an early proponent of anti-immigrant housing policy. His 10 principles included a call to “Stop immigration in order that American jobs and American houses may be safeguarded for American citizens.” Elsewhere he called to “Release housing units occupied by aliens in order that they may be occupied by veterans and other American citizens.”

Smith wasn’t alone. His efforts were part of a broader environment in which public officials and local media worked to stop construction of public housing in Los Angeles in the 1950s, accusing its proponents of communism.

Recent anti-immigrant policy in housing

State and federal policymakers have also incorporated anti-immigrant stances into American housing policy over the past half-century.

The 1980 Housing and Community Development Act was the first federal legislation to specifically bar undocumented immigrants from public housing programs. Welfare reform in 1996 further restricted public housing assistance to only legal permanent residents and those with asylum or refugee status.

Echoing the alien land laws of the late 1800s that prohibited foreign property ownership, policymakers in the 2000s in states such as Pennsylvania and Texas passed laws forcing landlords to check immigration status as a condition of rental – though this was struck down by the courts.

Today, immigrant tenants experience fewer housing rights than citizens. These inequalities fall particularly hard on unauthorized immigrants who experience high rates of housing cost burden, crowding and poor housing conditions.

The Trump administration aims to expand restrictions on immigrants in public housing even further. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is in the process of adopting rules that will evict entire families if even one member is ineligible for assistance based on immigration status. Current law allows those families to live in public housing, while prorating their benefits to account for an ineligible member.

From Smith to Vance, anti-immigrant housing policies have been cast as a way for citizens to get more housing. But they fail to prevent or solve the housing shortage driving the crisis.

For example, the Trump administration’s effort to evict mixed status families from public housing will affect roughly 25,000 households. Setting aside the fact that those families may then be made homeless, that number is only one-tenth the amount of housing that the U.S. has lost due to the defunding and demolishing of public housing since 1990.

A construction worker walks in the frame of a house.
Studies show that deportations can reduce the housing construction workforce, which lowers the number of units built and increases costs.
AP Photo/Laura Rauch

Indeed, many of the Trump administration’s immigration and economic policies are likely to exacerbate the housing crisis. The Trump administration has made deportation a priority and has significantly increased deportation rates compared to recent years, while instituting historically high tariffs on imports.

Deportations reduce the housing construction workforce, lowering the number of units built and increasing costs. And tariffs raise prices on building materials such as lumber, steel and aluminum. The National Association of Home Builders estimates that recent tariffs have raised building costs by US$10,900 per home.

In early 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency canceled or delayed a series of HUD grants for housing assistance programs. And the Trump administration has announced plans for more cuts to the nation’s already insufficient housing assistance budget.

Vance, like Smith before him, presents the issue like a pie, where citizens can get a larger slice only by deporting immigrants. But the reality is that the pie can be bigger: The government can fully fund the housing needs of all Americans for less than it has spent on its other priorities. The recently passed “big, beautiful bill,” for example, allocates more funding to border and interior enforcement per year than key rental assistance programs, public housing and Housing Choice Vouchers allocate for housing.

In Smith’s time, everyday Americans resisted this gambit, speaking out to protest his views. Today, as Smith’s anti-immigration housing ideas have ascended to the national stage, the housing justice community is speaking out against anti-immigrant housing policy and offering an alternative vision of how the U.S. can provide housing for all.

The Conversation

Rahim Kurwa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ref. The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant housing policy reflects a long history of xenophobia in public housing – https://theconversation.com/the-trump-administrations-anti-immigrant-housing-policy-reflects-a-long-history-of-xenophobia-in-public-housing-263860

Despite naysayers and rising costs, data shows that college still pays off for students – and society overall

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Stanley S. Litow, Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

College graduates earn more immediately after graduation and later on in their careers than high school graduates. DBenitostock/Moment

No industry has perhaps felt the negative effect of a radical shift in federal policy under the second Trump administration more than higher education.

Many American colleges and universities, especially public institutions, have experienced swift and extensive federal cuts to grants, research and other programs in 2025.

Meanwhile, new restrictive immigration policies have prevented many international students from enrolling in public and private universities. Universities and colleges are also facing other various other challenges – like the threat to academic freedom.

These shifts coincide with the broader, increasingly amplified argument that getting a college degree does not matter, after all. A September 2025 Gallup poll shows that while 35% of people rated college as “very important,” another 40% said it is “fairly important,” and 24% said it is “not too important.”

By comparison, 75% of surveyed people in 2010 said that college was “very important,” while 21% said it was “fairly important” and 4% said it is “not too important.”

Still, as a scholar of education, economic development and social issues, I know that there is ample and growing evidence that a college degree is still very much worth it. Graduating from college is directly connected to higher entry-level wages and long-term career success.

A swirl of white papers hang from a ceiling in an ornate room with a chandelier.
College diplomas are seen on display as part of an art exhibition in Grand Central Terminal in New York in 2022.
Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

A growing gap

Some people argue that a college degree does not matter, since there might not be enough jobs for college graduates and other workers, given the growth of artificial intelligence, for example. Some clear evidence shows otherwise.

An estimated 18.4 million workers with a college degree in the U.S. will retire from now through 2032, according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. This is far greater than the 13.8 million workers who will enter the workforce with college degrees during this same time frame.

Meanwhile, an additional 700,00 new jobs that require college degrees – spanning from environmental positions to advanced manufacturing – will be created from now through 2032.

The gap between those expected to leave and enter the workforce with college degrees creates a serious problem. One major question is whether there will be enough people to fill the available jobs that require a college degree.

In 2023, foreign-born people made up 16% of registered nurses in the U.S., though that percentage is higher in certain states, like California. But restrictions on immigration could limit the number of potential nurses able to fill open positions.

Nursing and teaching are two fields expected to grow over the next few decades, and they will require more workers due to retirements.

Other fields, like accounting, engineering, law and many others, are also expected to have more college-educated workers retire than there are new workers to fill their positions.

Worth the cost

The average annual salary of a college graduate from the class of 2023 was US$64,291 in 2024, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The overall average salary for this graduation class one year after they left school marked an increase from the average $60,028 that the class of 2022 earned in 2023, equivalent to $63,850 today.

While there is not available data that offers a direct comparison, full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 34 with a high school diploma earned $41,800 in median annual earnings in 2022, or $46,100 today.

Overall lifetime earnings for those with college degrees is about about $1.2 million more than people with a high school make, according to the recent Georgetown findings.

People who earn more generally have more money to support their families and contribute to their immediate communities. Their higher taxes also contribute to the U.S. economy, supporting needed services like education, public safety and health care.

People with college degrees are also more likely than those who are not college graduates to vote, volunteer and make charitable donations to help others in need.

College matters for individuals, but it clearly also helps improve the economy.

With 64 public colleges across the state, the State University of New York system is the largest post-secondary network of higher education schools in the country. For every $1 the state of New York invests in SUNY, the SUNY system returns $8.70 to the state in terms of economic growth, according to 2024 findings by the Rockefeller Institute, an independent public policy research organization affiliated with SUNY. And that is only one state.

A gray building is seen with red signs hanging nearby that say 'Stony Brook University.'
The Stony Brook University campus, part of the State University of New York system, is shown in May 2022.
Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM via Getty Images

A new way forward

It isn’t likely that the expected number of college-educated people who will soon retire will suddenly decrease, or that the anticipated number of people entering the workforce will unexpectedly increase.

There are practical reasons why some people do not want to go to college, or cannot attend. Indeed, the percentage of young people enrolled as college undergraduates fell almost 15% from 2010 through 2022.

For one, tuition and fees at private colleges have increased about 32% since 2006, after adjusting for inflation. And in-state tuition and fees at public universities have also grown about 29% since 2006.

The total of federal student loan debt for college has also tripled since 2007. It stood at about $1.84 trillion in 2024.

I believe that in order to ensure enough college-educated people can fill the anticipated work openings in the future, universities and the government should embrace needed changes to increase both enrollment and completion rates.

Artificial intelligence will transform work worldwide, for example, and that shift should be incorporated into higher education curriculum and degrees. Soft skills – like problem-solving, collaboration, presentation and writing skills – will become more important and should be prioritized in the learning process.

I believe that universities should also prioritize experiential education, including paid internships that offer students academic credit. This can help students gain experience that is both accredited and is connected to direct career pathways.

Universities and high schools could also expand how much they offer microcredentials – or short, focused learning programs that offer practical skills in a specific area – so students can connect their education with clear career pathways.

These reforms aren’t easy. They require a commitment to change, and all of this work will require deep partnerships with the government. While that might be a heavy lift currently at the federal level, it is both possible and achievable to make advances on these and other changes at the state level.

American universities and colleges have always been key to preparing the workforce for economic opportunity. At the end of World War II, for example, Columbia University and IBM worked together to help create the academic discipline now called computer science.

This action did more than help one university or one employer. It fueled change across higher education and across private companies and the government, leading to massive economic growth.

Universities have made countless other contributions to strengthen and expand the economy. Considering solutions to some of the challenges that stop students from going to college could help ensure that more students see the value in a college education – and a tangible way for them to connect it to a future career.

The Conversation

Stanley S. Litow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ref. Despite naysayers and rising costs, data shows that college still pays off for students – and society overall – https://theconversation.com/despite-naysayers-and-rising-costs-data-shows-that-college-still-pays-off-for-students-and-society-overall-267612

AI is changing who gets hired – what skills will keep you employed?

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Murugan Anandarajan, Professor of Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems, Drexel University

Success in the age of AI may depend less on technical skills and more on human judgment, adaptability and trust. Malte Mueller/Getty Images

The consulting firm Accenture recently laid off 11,000 employees while expanding its efforts to train workers to use artificial intelligence. It’s a sharp reminder that the same technology driving efficiency is also redefining what it takes to keep a job.

And Accenture isn’t alone. IBM has already replaced hundreds of roles with AI systems, while creating new jobs in sales and marketing. Amazon cut staff even as it expands teams that build and manage AI tools. Across industries, from banks to hospitals and creative companies, workers and managers alike are trying to understand which roles will disappear, which will evolve and which new ones will emerge.

I research and teach at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business, studying how technology changes work and decision-making. My students often ask how they can stay employable in the age of AI. Executives ask me how to build trust in technology that seems to move faster than people can adapt to it. In the end, both groups are really asking the same thing: Which skills matter most in an economy where machines can learn?

To answer this, I analyzed data from two surveys my colleagues and I conducted over this summer. For the first, the Data Integrity & AI Readiness Survey, we asked 550 companies across the country how they use and invest in AI. For the second, the College Hiring Outlook Survey, we looked at how 470 employers viewed entry-level hiring, workforce development and AI skills in candidates. These studies show both sides of the equation: those building AI and those learning to work with it.

AI is everywhere, but are people ready?

More than half of organizations told us that AI now drives daily decision-making, yet only 38% believe their employees are fully prepared to use it. This gap is reshaping today’s job market. AI isn’t just replacing workers; it’s revealing who’s ready to work alongside it.

Our data also shows a contradiction. While many companies now depend on AI internally, only 27% of recruiters say they’re comfortable with applicants using AI tools for tasks such as writing resumes or researching salary ranges.

In other words, the same tools companies trust for business decisions still raise doubts when job seekers use them for career advancement. Until that view changes, even skilled workers will keep getting mixed messages about what “responsible AI use” really means.

In the Data Integrity & AI Readiness Survey, this readiness gap showed up most clearly in customer-facing and operational jobs such as marketing and sales. These are the same areas where automation is advancing quickly, and layoffs tend to occur when technology evolves faster than people can adapt.

At the same time, we found that many employers haven’t updated their degree or credential requirements. They’re still hiring for yesterday’s resumes while, tomorrow’s work demands fluency in AI. The problem isn’t that people are being replaced by AI; it’s that technology is evolving faster than most workers can adapt.

Fluency and trust: The real foundations of adaptability

Our research suggests that the skills most closely linked with adaptability share one theme, what I call “human-AI fluency.” This means being able to work with smart systems, question their results and keep learning as things change.

Across companies, the biggest challenges lie in expanding AI, ensuring compliance with ethical and regulatory standards and connecting AI to real business goals. These hurdles aren’t about coding; they’re about good judgment.

In my classes, I emphasize that the future will favor people who can turn machine output into useful human insight. I call this digital bilingualism: the ability to fluently navigate both human judgment and machine logic.

What management experts call “reskilling” – or learning new skills to adapt to a new role or major changes in an old one – works best when people feel safe to learn. In our Data Integrity & AI Readiness Survey, organizations with strong governance and high trust were nearly twice as likely to report gains in performance and innovation. The data suggests that when people trust their leaders and systems, they’re more willing to experiment and learn from mistakes. In that way, trust turns technology from something to fear into something to learn from, giving employees the confidence to adapt.

According to the College Hiring Outlook Survey, about 86% of employers now offer internal training or online boot camps, yet only 36% say AI-related skills are important for entry-level roles. Most training still focuses on traditional skills rather than those needed for emerging AI jobs.

The most successful companies make learning part of the job itself. They build opportunities to learn into real projects and encourage employees to experiment. I often remind leaders that the goal isn’t just to train people to use AI but to help them think alongside it. This is how trust becomes the foundation for growth, and how reskilling helps retain employees.

The new rules of hiring

In my view, the companies leading in AI aren’t just cutting jobs; they’re redefining them. To succeed, I believe companies will need to hire people who can connect technology with good judgment, question what AI produces, explain it clearly and turn it into business value.

In companies that are putting AI to work most effectively, hiring isn’t just about resumes anymore. What matters is how people apply traits like curiosity and judgment to intelligent tools. I believe these trends are leading to new hybrid roles such as AI translators, who help decision-makers understand what AI insights mean and how to act on them, and digital coaches, who teach teams to work alongside intelligent systems. Each of these roles connects human judgment with machine intelligence, showing how future jobs will blend technical skills with human insight.

That blend of judgment and adaptability is the new competitive advantage. The future won’t just reward the most technical workers, but those who can turn intelligence – human or artificial – into real-world value.

The Conversation

Murugan Anandarajan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ref. AI is changing who gets hired – what skills will keep you employed? – https://theconversation.com/ai-is-changing-who-gets-hired-what-skills-will-keep-you-employed-267376

Trump’s ‘golden age’ economic message undercut by his desire for much lower interest rates – which typically signal a weak jobs market

Source: The Conversation – USA (2) – By Joshua Stillwagon, Associate Professor of Economics, Babson College

President Donald Trump has said he believes the U.S. economy has entered a ‘golden age’ on his watch. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

President Donald Trump seems to want to have it both ways on the U.S. economy.

On the one hand, he recently said the economy is in its “golden age” and referred to the U.S. as the “hottest country anywhere in the world.”

Yet at the same time, he has outright demanded that the Federal Reserve sharply slash interest rates to fuel economic activity. And his recently handpicked governor, Stephen Miran, has led the charge in pushing for a bigger cut than preferred by his new colleagues at the Fed.

When an economy is strong, central banks typically don’t cut interest rates and may even raise them to avoid spurring inflation. And so to support his argument for large cuts, Miran has played up “downside risks” to the economy and a weakening labor market, contrasting with Trump’s talk of a “golden age.”

Trump and Miran also seem to be ignoring the problem of inflation, which the president has said “has been defeated” and Miran considers close enough to the Fed’s target of 2%. Yet, inflation remains high and has been picking back up in recent months – one of the core reasons the Fed has taken a gradual approach to lowering interest rates.

I’m a macroeconomist, which means I study big-picture factors affecting an economy, such as interest rates.

It’s well known that lower rates spur faster growth, and of course all presidents want a stronger economy on their watch. But the Fed’s job when it sets interest rates is to deal with whatever reality the data shows – and make decisions accordingly.

Is the economy hot or not?

In the simplest terms, the Fed raises interest rates when the economy is “hot,” or inflation is above the Fed’s 2% target, and lowers them when there are concerns about unemployment.

At its most recent meeting, in September, the Fed lowered rates a quarter of a point, citing slowing jobs growth, and increased economic uncertainty. Trump nominee Miran was the only one of the 12 members of the Fed’s policy-setting committee to instead vote for a more aggressive half-point cut.

The only credible rationale for that large of an interest rate cut, in the face of still-high inflation, is by believing the labor market is incredibly weak. According to the Fed’s preferred measure, the personal consumption expenditures index, inflation has been accelerating all summer and was 2.7% at the end of August, well above the Fed’s 2% target.

There’s no doubt jobs growth has slowed considerably in recent months, but enough to completely ignore the risk of driving inflation higher? At this point at least, the Fed doesn’t think so.

And if the economy were in fact running hot, as the president claims, the Fed would have little choice but to keep rates flat or raise them, especially given elevated inflation.

a man in a suit speaks in front of a microphone with a few people sitting in the background
Stephen Miran, who was recently nominated to the Federal Open Market Committee, has been pushing for much larger rate cuts than his colleagues.
AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib

Risks of following political whims

This situation gets at the heart of why central bank independence matters.

Trump’s efforts to influence the Federal Reserve have not been subtle and break with Congress’ intention to insulate the Fed from political manipulation. Besides pressing for big rate cuts, he has tried to fire a member of the Board of Governors over questionable allegations and mused about removing Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

The risks of following the wishes of a president in the face of what the data shows were starkly demonstrated in 2021, when Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fired the head of the country’s central bank. The central banker was pushing rates higher to tame inflation, which was at about 20%, but Erdogan demanded they be lowered. In response, Turkey’s lira plunged to record lows and inflation soared to over 70% in 2022.

Something similar could happen in the U.S. if Trump continues down the same path of meddling with the Fed. As a sign of how much Wall Street worries about this risk, a recent study estimated that if Trump followed through on his threat to fire Powell, the stock market could lose an estimated US$1 trillion as a result.

That’s because the Fed’s credibility rests on its ability to make decisions driven by economic evidence, not political expedience. That independence means policymakers must weigh data on inflation, jobs and growth rather than election cycles or partisan demands.

Justifying deeper rate cuts

Looking ahead to the Fed’s next meeting Oct. 28-29, policymakers face a delicate balancing act. With inflation still running above target and signs of slowing jobs growth, it needs to lower rates enough to prevent a downturn but not so low that inflation spirals out of control.

Traders are putting near-100% odds of two more quarter-point cuts this year, one on Oct. 29 and another in December. This would bring the Fed’s benchmark interest rate to a range of 3.5%-3.75% by the end of 2025, down from 4%-4.25% now.

Based on Miran’s own interest rate projections, he’s likely to again push for a larger cut of a half-point or more at both meetings, as he believes the Fed’s benchmark rate should be below 3% by the end of the year.

To me, as an economist, the only way a Fed acting independently could reasonably justify such a significant cut in rates in the next few months is if the unemployment rate begins rising steadily, with the economy clearly at risk of slipping into a recession.

The Conversation

Joshua Stillwagon was a long-time organizer and judge for an academic competition hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and has presented research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

ref. Trump’s ‘golden age’ economic message undercut by his desire for much lower interest rates – which typically signal a weak jobs market – https://theconversation.com/trumps-golden-age-economic-message-undercut-by-his-desire-for-much-lower-interest-rates-which-typically-signal-a-weak-jobs-market-266969