|
Business confidence surveys test the mood of an economy – and mood counts for a lot when you have to make big decisions about spending more, cutting back or changing direction. In South Africa, one survey has recorded the ups and downs of business sentiment for 70 years, adding to the historical records of events, data and policies. Economists Johann Kirsten and Lisette IJssel de Schepper reveal more.
Many of us are aware that smoking can lead to cancer and heart disease, but a new study has uncovered another major risk. A team of medical scientists explain that smoking can affect the harmony of the microorganisms that live in our mouths, leading to higher levels of harmful bacteria.
|
Johann Kirsten, Stellenbosch University; Lisette IJssel de Schepper, Stellenbosch University
Business confidence surveys provide early signals of economic trends long before the official statistics.
|
Yvonne Prince, Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Glenda Mary Davison, Cape Peninsula University of Technology; Tandi Matsha-Erasmus, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University
Changes to the bacterial balance in the mouth can trigger inflammation and other harmful effects in the body.
|
Pearl S. Kyei, University of Ghana
A study in five west African countries found that children fostered by wealthier households were less likely to attend school than children fostered by poorer households.
|
Peter Harris, Colorado State University
The deal that’s been announced is a rare win-win moment in international relations, with all the relevant actors able to claim a meaningful victory.
|
Gabriella Santini, UCL
For the Maasai, Nyekweri forest has such a high ecological and socio-cultural value. But new conservancies aren’t working as best they could.
|
From our international editions
|
-
Jamie Cross, Melbourne Business School
Israel’s response to Iran’s escalation of the current Middle East conflict could cause oil prices to rise further in days to come.
-
Ramona Alaggia, University of Toronto
The Oasis reunion offers an excellent opportunity to examine what it takes to resolve a sibling feud permanently, when you’re young enough to prevent it from becoming a lifelong issue.
-
James L. Fitzsimmons, Middlebury
Ancient Maya peoples knew that human beings are not independent from nature but part of it.
-
Sanghyub John Lee, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Ho Seok Ahn, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau; Leo Paas, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
A new model looked at more than 3.6 million sentences posted on X, with an 86% success rate in identifying the emotion being expressed.
|
|
