Author: Neil Schoenherr

With Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on the way out of power, Italian debt has risen to record levels with few solutions in sight. An economist at Washington University in St. Louis who was born and raised in Italy warns that the Italian troubles may foreshadow what’s at stake for the United States as well, no matter how much more reliable its public debt may appear today.

Crowd funding, in which a group of investors pools money to fund a project or startup business — often online through social media and sites such as Kickstarter.com — has gained attention recently as a possible source for stimulating economic growth. But an expert on entrepreneurship at Washington University in St. Louis says crowd funding may not be all its cracked up to be.

Robert J. Skandalaris and his wife, Julie, helped celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies Nov. 2 in the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center. The Skandalarises established a program for entrepreneurial studies in the Olin Business School in 2001.

Greece’s government is teetering on the brink of collapse, backing away Nov. 3 from a referendum on staying in the Euro. While events continue to evolve and change rapidly, Greece is likely to default on its entire debt, says an economist at Washington University in St. Louis.

When it comes to charitable giving, details matter. A new project by a marketing professor at Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis finds that when charitable organizations approach potential donors with a more detailed description of the charity, donors give more.

Against a backdrop of harsh partisan political rancor, Steven S. Smith, PhD, the Kate M. Gregg Distinguished Professor of Social Sciences in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will present a series of three lectures in November on “The Dysfunctional Senate.”

Robert D. Putnam, PhD, the Malkin Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, will present a lecture on his latest work, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Graham Chapel. He is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.

More than 100 area executives joined 30 Olin Business School student leaders at Washington University in St. Louis in discussing topics from U.S. economic policy to business growth during the third annual Leaders in Business Summit Oct. 14 in the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center.

While the St. Louis Regional Commerce and Growth Association claims the World Series will provide a $24.4 million economic boost to the area, a Washington University in St. Louis economist says it won’t change the area’s economic outlook as a whole.

Nestlé Purina’s latest commercial for its Beneful dog food, aimed directly at canines by using high-frequency noises inaudible to humans, should serve to increase the bond owners feel with their pets, says a marketing expert at Washington University in St. Louis.