IE Insights

Unlocking Europe's Investment Potential | IE Insights As foreign investment shifts toward the US and Asia, the EU must fix its red tape and fragmented markets if it wants to compete, writes Patricia Gabaldón.

If Europe wants to reclaim its spot as a top destination for foreign investment, it needs to act fast:

-- Tackle macroeconomic disruptions head-on
-- Simplify regulations
-- Complete the Capital Markets Union
-- Strengthen public-private synergies

www.ie.edu/insights/art... by Patricia Gabaldón

Rethinking AI in Credit Decision-Making | IE Insights AI is reshaping credit decisions, but at what cost? Balancing predictive power with transparency is key to ensuring trust in financial systems, write Guillermo de Haro Rodríguez and Andrés Alonso.

In the age of artificial intelligence, your chances of getting a loan are increasingly shaped not by a person but by an algorithm. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

“What if the greatest risk of artificial intelligence isn’t job displacement, but something far more insidious: the creation of professionals who appear competent but lack the judgment to back it up?”

Mobility Is a Platform. For Europe, It's a Geopolitical Test | IE Insights Europe’s automobile sector faces a pivotal test: adapt to a data-driven, platform-based future or fall into decline, writes Dan Ciuriak.

Europe’s automobile sector faces a pivotal test: adapt to a data-driven, platform-based future or fall into decline, writes @ciuriakd.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Swiftonomics and the New Rules of Guest Experience | IE Insights Mega-events like Taylor Swift’s tours can transform hospitality from rigid traditions to dynamic, culturally aware services, writes Peter Varga.

"The key lesson for hospitality is simple: rigidity is a liability."

Mega-events like Taylor Swift’s tours are pushing #hospitality beyond rigid traditions toward more dynamic, culturally responsive services. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

What Comes After GDP? | IE Insights Development is more than GDP. Progress should instead be focused on a human-centered vision—rooted in well-being, equity, and sustainability, writes Borja Santos Porras.

"How we define progress shapes how we pursue it. When GDP is treated as the sole benchmark, the focus narrows to economic growth alone, sidelining critical dimensions such as well-being, equity, and sustainability." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Sustainable Branding Needs a CFO Lens | IE Insights To turn sustainability into brand value, marketers must think like CFOs—linking green initiatives to risk, return, and long-term financial performance, writes Gabriela Salinas.

To prove the branding value of sustainability, marketers must go beyond glossy campaigns and speak the language of finance: risk, return, evidence. That means thinking like a CFO and using better tools to show how sustainable choices shape both perception and performance. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How Digitally Mature Are Our Children? | IE Insights Are children ready to navigate today's digital world safely? Konstantina Valogianni breaks down what digital maturity in children really means—and how new index developed by a selection of European un...

Are children ready to navigate today’s digital world safely? Konstantina Valogianni breaks down what digital maturity in children really means -- and how a new index developed by a selection of European universities measures it. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

From Dopamine Hits to Deliberate Decisions | IE Insights As algorithms increasingly shape consumer behavior, ethical design can enable wise consumption in the age of AI, writes Salil Jayakar.

Consumption is no longer just a response to need – it’s a constant background hum, shaped by forces we rarely pause to question. Are we truly making our own choices, or are they being made for us?

www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How AI Chips Became a Tool of Global Power | IE Insights With the future of AI hinging on a fragile chip supply chain, Europe must strategize to stay competitive and resilient, write Alexandre Ferreira Gomes and Jelle van den Wijngaard.

The future of AI depends on a supply chain that is simultaneously advanced and fragile – built on US chip design, Dutch lithography machines, and Taiwanese manufacturing capacity. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Is AI Creating Incompetent Experts? | IE Insights Generative AI is short-circuiting the learning process that builds real expertise, writes Kiron Ravindran.

Is AI creating incompetent experts?

Today’s AI-hybrid professionals are, for all intents and purposes, considered accomplished and successful. On paper, that is. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Most Political Investors May Be ESG’s Best Bet | IE Insights As ESG investing faces political backlash, sovereign wealth funds have the opportunity to emerge as long-term stewards of sustainable capital, writes Ana Nacvalovaite.

As ESG investing faces political backlash, sovereign wealth funds have the opportunity to emerge as long-term stewards of sustainable capital, writes Ana Nacvalovaite. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Presence in the Age of Prediction | IE Insights AI's mimicry of human expression should herald a return to creation rooted in presence and intention, writes Niels Bekkema.

"Approximation is not presence. Prediction is not creation."

AI’s mimicry of human expression should herald a return to creation rooted in presence and intention, writes @nielsbekkema.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Why Africa Matters in the New Global Order | IE Insights In a world shaped by concentrated power and risk, Africa offers the heterogeneity and growth needed to rebalance global systems, writes David Harlley.

In a world shaped by concentrated power and risk, Africa offers the heterogeneity and growth needed to rebalance global systems, writes David Harlley. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

How to Make a Hit Podcast | IE Insights Thinking of starting a podcast — or just trying to make yours better? Katie Martin and Robert Armstrong from the <em>Financial Times</em> share how they built <em>Unhedged</em>: an unscripted, convers...

"People sometimes ask us what makes a good podcast. My first answer to that question is, I don’t know. We just do our podcast the way that is natural to us." -- @katie0martin.ft.com & @robarmstrong.bsky.social re: their finance and markets podcast Unhedged: www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Cervantes and Cacao: A Bittersweet Legacy | IE Insights The humble cacao bean has carried complex cultural meanings across continents, from indigenous sacred rituals to symbols of European royal power, writes Goretti Gonzalez.

"To drink such chocolate was to inhabit a world where food was philosophy, and every ingredient carried the weight of meaning."

Goretti González considers how the humble cacao bean has carried complex cultural meanings across continents. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Why Telling Your Story Beats Listing Your Wins | IE Insights <p data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Research shows that professionals who share their growth stories -- not just achievements -- in written introductions create warmer impressions and stronger connections, writ...

Trying to make a new professional contact? Research shows that people who share their growth stories — how they got where they are, the ups and the downs — in written introductions (e.g. LinkedIn, emails) create stronger connections. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Friction Hunting to Transform Workplace Culture | IE Insights An organizational culture that removes friction can empower collaboration and adaptability, writes Daniel Strode, author of <em>The Innovator’s Edge</em>.

How can business leaders a culture of innovation? Daniel Strode highlights the importance of removing friction in shaping organizations where people feel empowered to be bold. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Europe's Defense Illusion: Why Budget Increases Won't Save the Continent | IE Insights <span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">Europe’s promises of </span><span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">defense </span><span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">spending </span><span class="_fadeIn_pfttw_8">mask </span><span cla...

"No amount of budget increases or flashy procurement announcements will close the readiness gap."

Europe’s promises of defense spending mask deeper issues: fragmented forces, U.S. dependence, and a lack of readiness, writes Bjorn Beam. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

AI Bubble Signals from History | IE Insights The AI market’s soaring valuations and speculative investment raise concerns of a potential bubble, despite its transformative potential, writes Sajal Singh.

"Rather than a market-wide AI bubble, we may be witnessing a more segmented phenomenon," writes Sajal Singh. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

A Brand New “Hello World” of Coding | IE Insights AI tools are transforming coding, but foundational programming knowledge remains crucial for problem-solving and creativity, writes Guillermo de Haro Rodríguez.

"Learning to code in the age of AI is far from wasted effort. It’s an investment in becoming intellectually prominent in a digital world. Skipping programming because AI can do it for you is like refusing to learn math because calculators exist." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

The Weight of Light: AI, Computation, and the Cost of Thinking Big | IE Insights While AI illuminates vast possibilities, it casts long shadows of energy consumption, carbon emissions, and resource depletion, writes Shagun Tripathi.

"On the one hand, AI holds immense promise. It can amplify human intelligence, extend productivity, and unlock innovation at an unseen scale. On the other lies a mounting cost: AI systems are increasingly data hungry, computation intensive, and resource extractive." www.ie.edu/insights/art...

AI in Government that Actually Works | IE Insights Successful AI adoption in the public sector requires strategic leadership, skill development, and ethical governance to enhance efficiency while supporting human judgment, writes Giancarlo Vecchi.

Successful AI adoption in the public sector requires strategic leadership, skill development, and ethical governance to enhance efficiency while supporting human judgment, writes @gcvecchi.bsky.social. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

From Brussels to Brasilia: Regulatory Inspiration or Isolation? | IE Insights As the EU’s digital regulatory leadership wavers, it leaves those countries who followed its path fearing isolation in the fight against Big Tech, write Miguel Otero-Iglesias and Gonzalo Rodríguez.

As the EU’s digital regulatory leadership wavers, those countries following its path might have to face Big Tech alone. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

"If the EU weakens its stance, Brazil fears being left isolated in its efforts to regulate big tech." -- Miguel Otero-Iglesias & Gonzalo Rodríguez.

IE Insights - Disaster Risk Management IE Insights - Disaster Risk Management

As natural and man-made hazards become more frequent and impactful, raising awareness and strengthening education on disaster risk management is more critical than ever. Check out our latest interactive exploring prevention, preparedness, response, and reconstruction. www.ie.edu/insights/dis...

The Social Price of AI Communication | IE Insights AI's reshaping of human communication is posing urgent social consequences worldwide, writes Bjorn Beam.

"AI-generated communication patterns are increasingly mirrored in how people talk to each other – direct, efficient, but emotionally flat. We are training machines to sound more human while simultaneously training ourselves to sound more like machines."

www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Google's Business Model & AI Crisis | IE Insights Google's advertising model and AI strategy are causing the company issues. Enrique Dans explores how the tech giant needs to adapt to a changing landscape.

Google’s advertising model and AI strategy are causing the company issues. @edans.bsky.social explores how the tech giant needs to adapt to a changing landscape. www.ie.edu/insights/vid...

Latin America: Between Risk and Opportunity | IE Insights Latin America and the Caribbean need to navigate shifts in trade, resources, and diplomacy amid the wider context of changing U.S.-China power dynamics, writes Germán Ríos.

Latin America and the Caribbean need to navigate shifts in trade, resources, and diplomacy amid the wider context of changing U.S.-China power dynamics, writes Germán Ríos. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Germany and the United States - Rivals or Partners? | IE Insights With Germany and the U.S. facing contrasting economic paths, their decisions ahead will shape global trade and stability, write Rafael Pampillón and Rafael Moneo Abreu.

With Germany and the U.S. facing contrasting economic paths, their coming decisions will shape global trade and stability, write Rafael Pampillón and Rafael Moneo Abreu. www.ie.edu/insights/art...

Germany and the United States – Rivals or Partners?

Politicians Take to the Pods | IE Insights Podcasts are reshaping politics, challenging traditional media through direct engagement with voters while raising crucial questions about trust, truth, and democracy, write Vineeta Dwivedi and Kakoli...

"Podcasts are rewriting our political playbook while nobody’s watching the referees." www.ie.edu/insights/art...