Editor's note

Trouble is stirring again in Northern Ireland, as the agreement that created peace for its people 20 years ago today faces numerous challenges. John Mackey of Boston University tells the history of how Ireland ended a deadly 30-year battle for power. But today, he writes: “Divisions between nationalists and unionists have been exacerbated by sharp differences over the U.K.‘s decision to leave the EU.”

As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg heads to Capitol Hill, University of Michigan privacy scholar Florian Schaub explains how U.S. data privacy rules differ from standard approaches around the world.

Investing in stocks has been a precarious business in recent weeks as traders fret that a trade war between the U.S. and China is brewing. So what makes one investor more likely to make a risky investment than another? Surprisingly, it may depend on whose head is in the clouds – literally, according to marketing professor Sina Esteky.

Danielle Douez

Associate Editor, Politics + Society

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A woman at her home in the Irish side of the border town of Pettigo. Mstyslav Chernov/AP

From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland's Good Friday Agreement turns 20

John W. Mackey, Boston University

The agreement created peace between Irish nationalists and those who support being part of the United Kingdom. With Brexit looming, tensions are once again rising.

What are the rules governing who’s watching you online? Aleutie

Fragmented US privacy rules leave large data loopholes for Facebook and others

Florian Schaub, University of Michigan

US privacy laws focus on informing consumers what's happening with their data; other countries specifically restrict data collection and analysis.

Do Wall Street’s high-rises fuel risky behavior? ErickN/Shutterstock.com

Stock investors on higher floors take more risks – here's why

Sina Esteky, Miami University

Business scholars have found that our physical environment can influence us in a variety of surprising ways – including by prompting us to engage in riskier behavior depending on elevation.

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