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#Experts in the Media: Cohen Testifies in “Hush Money” Trial
The trials of Donald Trump are making headlines across the country and media are looking for key experts to offer opinion, perspective and insight to just about every angle and witness that's playing a part of this legal and political narrative day after day. Professor of Law James Sample was interviewed on CNN International’s Quest Means Business and in The Atlantic about the Michael Cohen’s testimony in former President Trump’s criminal trial in New York. These trials are daily news and if you're a journalist working this story - then let us help. James Sample is a Professor of Law at Hofstra University and previously served as an attorney in the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. James is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Changes in college football continue to be driven by dollars (and sense?)
The landscape of college sports, and particularly that of college football, has changed significantly in recent years. First, we have seen an almost constant realignment of collegiate athletic conferences, resulting in a few major mega-conferences, such as the SEC and ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, and the disintegration of a former major conference, the Pac 12. Most of the other changes related to the athletes, such as the ease with which student-athletes could transfer from one school to another and the ability for them to be paid for their name, image and likeness. All of these issues were potentially pointing to new business models in college sports, but within the last week, that landscape was shaken even further. Last week, the NCAA and its five major conferences settled multiple lawsuits to pay past and present student-athletes a total of $2.8 billion. The settlement also laid the foundation for the payments of college athletes starting in fall 2025. “The major unresolved questions are who will get paid and how much,” said Rick Franza, PhD, professor in the Hull College of Business at Augusta University. “If we ‘follow the money,’ we see that football and basketball (particularly men’s basketball) generate almost all of the revenues, and most of the revenues comes from major conferences. Therefore, most of the player payments are going to go to football and basketball, and given the size of the relative rosters, football teams will be much more costly.” Franza added that the settlement will further exasperate the revenue and cost differences between major conferences and their smaller conferences as well as between football and the so-called Olympic sports which generate little, if any revenue. It was always clear that from both a revenue and cost perspective, college football is very different from other sports. Revenues are much higher for the major conferences in football, and there is not the same extent of revenue sharing as there is in basketball due to the NCAA Tournament. On the cost side, with the new realignment of the mega conferences and expanded geographic footprints, there is a significant increase in travel costs for the Olympic sports. “While those expanded conferences were mainly driven by football revenues, they are also making all other sports more costly. Therefore, the time has come to separate football from other sports,” said Franza. One solution was first proposed by Chip Kelly, former Oregon and UCLA head football coach and now Ohio State offensive coordinator. He proposed a 64-school football conference in which the members would share all revenues, including television, which would more easily cover the NIL, and player pay costs. In recent months, similar proposals have been made for a college football “Super League,” which would include up to 80 schools. “This makes too much sense not to happen,” Franza said. “It allows the bigger football schools to share the plentiful available revenues while being able to pay the players what they will demand. At the same time, the other college sports would be able to revert to their traditional, geographical conferences and reduce travel costs driven up by the realigned mega- conferences.” He added that two conferences, the SEC and Big Ten, the most successful under the current alignment, could delay the implementation. Franza also predicts that an agreement taking the first steps toward such a structure will be reached sometime in 2024. “While it makes a lot of sense to go in this direction prior to the player settlement, it makes even more dollars and ‘sense’ now given the settlement,” said Franza. “While the SEC and BigTen currently make more money than any other conference, I think they will see the light for what is best for the future of college football.” Covering the business of sports and looking to know more? Then let us help. Richard Franza, PhD, is available to speak with media about trending issues like inflation, small business and the economy – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
The ChristianaCare Hospital Care at Home program, a national leader in providing acute care in a place most familiar to patients – their own homes – has reached a new milestone with more than 1,000 admissions since opening in December 2021. ChristianaCare’s innovative program enables patients with common chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure and diabetes complications, as well as infections like pneumonia, to receive hospital-level care at home through virtual and in-person care provided by a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, paramedics and others. Technology kits deployed to patient homes ensure round-the-clock access to a health care professional, along with twice daily visits from caregivers, medication deliveries and mobile laboratory services. ‘Absolutely amazing’ for patients Patients are evaluated for the hospital care at home program when they come to Wilmington or Christiana hospital emergency departments. Those who can be treated at home receive a technology kit that connects them to the command center, powered by the ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health. With a touch of a button, they can access an expert team of ChristianaCare doctors and nurses. But hospital care at home isn’t just virtual care — the technology supports an entire care team that works inside the patient’s home and remotely to provide optimal support at all times — just like in a hospital. Carol Bieber, whose 98-year-old father Bill has been a hospital care at home patient, sees the difference it makes for him to wake up in his own bed, sit in his own living room and still get the care he needs to get better. “The whole hospital care at home experience is really calm and easy and familiar to him,” said Bieber, who lives in Newark, Delaware. “My dad is a people person, so to be able to connect with everybody who comes in to see him or talk to him on the screen is just amazing.” Innovative solutions for in-home care ChristianaCare’s Hospital Care at Home program was developed in 2021 after the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) began the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program to allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive acute-level health care services in their home. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, who represents Delaware, worked to pass the bipartisan “Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act” in 2023 that extended this program. Last month. Sen. Carper introduced the bipartisan “At-Home Observation and Medical Evaluation (HOME) Services Act” that would expand this lifesaving and cost-saving program. “Hospital at Home – which grew out of the COVID pandemic – was an opportunity for us to meet seniors where they are,” Carper said. “It has delivered positive outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and saves money.” Sarah Schenck, M.D., FACP, executive director of the ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health, said the hospital care at home program has yielded lower readmission rates than brick-and-mortar hospitals. Patient experience scores are about three times higher than a national average traditional hospital experience. “We’ve been conditioned to believe that care only happens within the four walls of a hospital. For our patients who have loved ones at home or their pets, a favorite chair or favorite food, they’re now able to have all of that as they heal,” Schenck said. “Once our patients have experienced this, what we hear from them is that they are truly grateful.” Promoting healing – at home Helping patients recover in their homes also has been transformational for caregivers who get to see a different side of their patients and better understand what they need to successfully recover. “I can’t express how much I enjoy the patients and their families,” said Heather Orkis, a paramedic with Hospital Care at Home. “To be able to enjoy the family and see these people get better in their own homes, with their families, their grandkids, their dogs, their cats – it’s just a completely different kind of medicine.” For Bill Bieber’s family, hospital care at home is more than health care. “It’s just the best thing ever,” Carol Bieber said.
Podcast: Equality must become the norm, not just a box ticking exercise
Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) must become “everybody’s business” EDI can reduce pay gaps and open up opportunities for SMEs Aston University now celebrating Athena Swan Gold award for gender equality. Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) needs to become “the norm” in organisations to escape “disappointing” government criticism that it is a waste of time. That’s the guidance coming from the latest episode of ‘Aston means business’, a podcast from Aston University presented by journalist Steve Dyson. Professor Shivani Sharma, the new deputy dean of people, culture and inclusion at the University’s College of Business and Social Sciences, explained that EDI cultures must become “everybody’s business” to address the existing gender and ethnicity pay gaps. Responding to recent government criticisms of EDI schemes, Professor Sharma said: “Not enough investment has gone into these roles because, if we look at the history, it tells us that just relying on everybody to do the right thing doesn’t work.” Also interviewed in the podcast was Omar Rashid, a director of The HR Dept, a human resources franchise for Birmingham Central & Wolverhampton. Mr Rashid, who specialises in diversity and recruitment, said that government criticism of EDI initiatives was “disappointing”. But he acknowledged: “I understand where they’re coming from because, if it’s seen as a scheme, as something we’ve got to do, and it’s not done properly, then maybe it is a waste of time and a waste of money. It has to be seen as the norm.” He said people need to realise they live in a multicultural world, with a diverse workforce, supply chain and customers, and that if implemented properly the benefits of EDI are there. Mr Rashid, who is also president of the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce in Birmingham, specialises in diversity and recruitment. He added: “There is opportunity there through different skills. “Each individual, whether it’s race, religion, will bring their own perspectives, their own unique skills, even people with a disability. It shouldn’t be seen as a barrier.” He said examples of a “tick box mentality” were where businesses might adopt Black History Month but do nothing for the other 11 months of the year, or provide a prayer room during Ramadan but not at any other time. He added: “When it’s tick box, it’s not worth it because you’ll have a business or someone who will do something for a short period of time. They half-heartedly did something without the conviction. Diversity shouldn’t be just a little bit here and there.” Professor Sharma went on to say that ‘world days’ such as International Women’s Day can act as a catalyst to focus attention on an issue. But she added: “It’s really important that why you’re doing that is clear, and that the strategy of raising awareness, to remove barriers to women, equitable inclusion in the workplace or in society, continues throughout the year.” She said that Aston University had recently gained an Athena Swan Gold award for promoting gender equality in higher education, but that the “scale” of the problem meant there was still lots more to achieve. She explained that proportions of women entering as students into higher education was really positive, as were degree completion rates. But she pointed to the fact that around 80 per cent of university vice chancellors identified as men, with low representations of ethnic minority women among professors. Professor Sharma added: “It will take a sustained effort to undo that over time.” She also praised the Inclusive Aston networking initiative at Aston University, with senior leaders mentoring colleagues of minority ethnic heritage. Mr Rashid said SMEs needed to look at the opportunities that a diverse workforce and culture can bring to their business. He added: “One SME business engaged with someone from an Asian background, wanted to tap into India, and guess what? He has the connections and they were able to open a branch in India.” Catch up on all of the previous ‘Aston means business’ podcast episodes here.
The ChristianaCare Hospital Care at Home program, a national leader in providing acute care in a place most familiar to patients – their own homes – has reached a new milestone with more than 1,000 admissions since opening in December 2021. ChristianaCare’s innovative program enables patients with common chronic conditions, such as congestive heart failure and diabetes complications, as well as infections like pneumonia, to receive hospital-level care at home through virtual and in-person care provided by a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, paramedics and others. Technology kits deployed to patient homes ensure round-the-clock access to a health care professional, along with twice daily visits from caregivers, medication deliveries and mobile laboratory services. “This program is a wonderful example of how ChristianaCare is building a better health care system and meeting people’s health care needs through innovation, collaboration and an unwavering commitment to providing the very best care for the people we serve,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D., president and CEO of ChristianaCare. “We are proud to be at the forefront of hospital care at home nationally, through the collaboration with leaders like Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, who has championed this new model of care at the federal level; Medically Home, which partnered with ChristianaCare to help us design a program that best meets the needs of the communities we serve; and our own health professionals – we call them caregivers – whose expert care and coordination make this all possible. Together, we are creating health so that people can flourish.” ‘Just amazing’ for patients Patients are evaluated for the hospital care at home program when they come to Wilmington or Christiana hospital emergency departments. Those who can be treated at home receive a technology kit that connects them to the command center, powered by the ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health. With a touch of a button, they can access an expert team of ChristianaCare doctors and nurses. But hospital care at home isn’t just virtual care—the technology supports an entire care team that works inside the patient’s home and remotely to provide optimal support at all times—just like in a hospital. Patients connect with their health care team with just the touch of a button. Carol Bieber, whose 98-year-old father, Bill, has been a hospital care at home patient, sees the difference it makes for him to wake up in his own bed, sit in his own living room and still get the care he needs to get better. "The whole hospital care at home experience is really calm and easy and familiar to him," said Bieber, who lives in Newark. “My dad is a people person, so to be able to connect with everybody who comes in to see him or talk to him on the screen is just amazing.” Innovative solutions for in-home care ChristianaCare’s Hospital Care at Home program was developed in 2021 after the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) began the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program to allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive acute-level health care services in their home. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, who represents Delaware, worked to pass the bipartisan Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act in 2023 that extended this program. Last month. Sen. Carper introduced the bipartisan At Home Observation and Medical Evaluation (HOME) Services Act that would expand this lifesaving and cost-saving program. “Hospital at Home – which grew out of the COVID pandemic – was an opportunity for us to meet seniors where they are,” Sen. Carper said. “It has delivered positive outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and saves money. That is why when this program was about to go away with the end of the COVID public health emergency, I joined my colleagues across the aisle to extend the program for two more years. Today, especially as we celebrate the success of the program in Delaware with ChristianaCare, I’m encouraged that we can further extend that program!” Sarah E. Schenck, M.D., FACP, executive director of the ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health, said the hospital care at home program has yielded lower readmission rates than brick-and-mortar hospitals. In addition, patient experience scores are about three times higher than the national average for a traditional hospital experience. Options like Hospital Care at Home give patients the care they need in the space they want, said Dr. Sarah Schenck, executive director of ChristianaCare's Center for Virtual Health. “We’ve been conditioned to believe that care only happens within the four walls of a hospital. For our patients who have loved ones at home or their pets, a favorite chair or favorite food, they’re now able to have all of that as they heal,” Schenck said. “Once our patients have experienced this, what we hear from them is that they are truly grateful.” Promoting healing – at home Helping patients recover in their homes also has been transformational for caregivers who get to see a different side of their patients and better understand what they need to successfully recover. “I can’t express how much I enjoy the patients and their families,” said Heather Orkis, a paramedic with the hospital care at home program. Patients aren't the only ones who enjoy the experience of Hospital Care at Home - so do the health care professionals who care for them. “To be able to enjoy the family and see these people get better in their own homes, with their families, their grandkids, their dogs, their cats – it’s just a completely different kind of medicine.” For Bill Bieber’s family, hospital care at home is more than health care. “It’s just the best thing ever,” Carol Bieber said. Families appreciate the frequent interactions with members of the Hospital Care at Home team.
Aston University to train the UK’s next generation of decarbonisation experts
Consortium led by the University is to receive almost £11 million to open doctoral training centre Will focus on use of biomass to replace fossil fuels and removal of CO2 “…part of the UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills”. Aston University is to train the next generation of scientists tasked to remove greenhouse gases from the environment. A consortium led by the University is to receive almost £11 million to open a doctoral training centre which will focus on leading the UK towards net zero. The centre, based at Aston University, will bring together world-leading research expertise and facilities from the University of Nottingham, Queens University Belfast and the University of Warwick and more than 25 industrial partners. The funding has been announced by the UK science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan. The centre is to receive almost £8 million of government money while the remainder will be made up through match funding and support from industry and the four universities. The government has described it as part of the UK’s biggest-ever investment in engineering and physical sciences doctoral skills, totalling more than £1 billion. The Aston University centre will focus on the use of biomass to replace fossil fuels and removal (or capture) of CO2 from the atmosphere, with the potential to create new sources of fuels and chemicals. Integration of these two areas will lead to significant cost and energy savings. Called NET2Zero, the centre will train PhD students across the full range of engineered greenhouse gas removal techniques including direct air capture, CO2 utilisation (including chemical and material synthesis), biomass to energy with carbon capture and storage, and biochar. The students will work in the centre’s laboratories exploring the conversion of feedstock into alternative energy, improving conversion processes and measuring how the new technologies will impact the economy. Supported by a range of relevant industrial, academic and policy partners the centre will equip students to develop the broad range of skills essential for future leaders in decarbonisation. NET2Zero will be led by Professor Patricia Thornley, director of Aston University’s Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI). She said: “I am delighted that this centre for doctoral training has been funded. The climate emergency is so stark that we can no longer rely on demand reduction and renewables to meet our decarbonisation targets. “If we are to have greenhouse gas removal options ready in time to be usefully deployed, we need to start now to expand our knowledge and explore the reality of how these can be deployed. This partnership of four leading UK universities with key industrial and policy partners will significantly augment the UK’s ability to deliver on its climate ambitions.” “We are absolutely delighted to be working with our partners to deliver this unique and exciting programme to train the technology leaders of the future. Our students will deliver research outcomes that are urgently needed and only made possible by combining the expertise and resources of all the centre’s academic and industry partners.” Science and technology secretary, Michelle Donelan, said: “As innovators across the world break new ground faster than ever, it is vital that government, business and academia invests in ambitious UK talent, giving them the tools to pioneer new discoveries that benefit all our lives while creating new jobs and growing the economy. “By targeting critical technologies including artificial intelligence and future telecoms, we are supporting world class universities across the UK to build the skills base we need to unleash the potential of future tech and maintain our country’s reputation as a hub of cutting-edge research and development.” Centres for doctoral training have a significant reputation in training future UK academics, industrialists and innovators who have gone on to develop the latest technologies. The University of Nottingham’s Dr Eleanor Binner said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with our partners to deliver this unique and exciting programme to train the technology leaders of the future. Our students will deliver research outcomes that are urgently needed and only made possible by combining the expertise and resources of all the Centre’s academic and industry partners.” Her colleague Professor Hao Liu added: “We look forward to providing our best support to the NET2Zero CDT, including using our past and existing successful experience in leading other centres, to make this an exemplar.” Overall, there will be 65 new Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) centres for doctoral training which will support leading research in areas of national importance including the critical technologies AI, quantum technologies, semiconductors, telecoms and engineering biology. The funding is from a combination of £500 million from UK Research and Innovation and the Ministry of Defence, plus a further £590 million from universities and business partners. Notes to Editors EPSRC and BBSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Negative Emission Technologies for Net Zero (NET2ZERO) Led by: Professor Patricia Thornley, Aston University The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK. Our portfolio covers a vast range of fields from digital technologies to clean energy, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry. EPSRC invests in world-leading research and skills, advancing knowledge and delivering a sustainable, resilient and prosperous UK. We support new ideas and transformative technologies which are the foundations of innovation, improving our economy, environment and society. Working in partnership and co-investing with industry, we deliver against national and global priorities. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond. Funded by government, BBSRC invested £451 million in world-class bioscience in 2019-20. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. About Centres for Doctoral Training A CDT trains doctoral students with each centre focused on a specific theme or topic. Most CDTs will support five cohorts (a new cohort starting each academic year) with a cohort supporting an average of thirteen students. Fourteen of the centres will have four cohorts rather than five. EPSRC supports doctoral students through three training routes (Doctoral Training Partnerships, ICASE awards and CDTs), and in the last 30 years has supported over 50,000 doctoral students. About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk
Taylor Swift workshop helps fill a blank space for economics students
The University of Delaware's Kathyrn Bender developed a concept that professors could only conjure in their wildest dreams: A Taylor Swift-themed workshop that helps college students better understand data analytics through the music of the world's biggest pop star. Bender, assistant professor of economics in UD's Lerner College of Business and Economics, came up with the idea while teaching her Introduction to Microeconomics class in early October when the discussion turned to MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets. “I noticed in that class there was a lot of excitement, and I had just about everybody’s attention in there, whether they were interested because of football or because of the Taylor Swift aspect. So I thought that was really cool,” Bender said. Using grant money, Bender quickly jumped on the idea and developed a Swift-themed data visualization workshop series entitled “Data Enchanted: Transforming Numbers into Knowledge.” She held three 90-minute workshops during the fall semester, which ran from late October through early December: “Ready for It,” an introduction to Stata; “You Belong with Me,” building and structuring data for analysis; and “I Knew You Were Trouble,” transforming and cleaning data for analysis. The workshops helped UD students learn to utilize Stata, a statistical software package used for data manipulation, visualization and automated reporting. They were an immediate success, as Bender received over 60 applicants, although she was limited to accepting just 32 due to space limitations. Though students don’t earn credit for completing the workshops, just a certificate, Bender said they help fill some gaps that aren’t covered in classes. “I think they’re kind of expected to learn about it, piecing it together from different classes,” Bender said. “This [workshop series] is a way for students to get introduced to thinking about data, how it’s set up, how you can create good visualizations with it … those basics before you get into the analysis.” Making the workshops Swift-themed helped students pick up concepts more easily in a fun environment. Before jumping into data sets, the students make friendship bracelets to the soundtrack of Swift's music. In one session, they pulled Spotify data and statistics to analyze the popularity of Swift’s songs. “We’ve stuck with Taylor Swift songs and albums so far,“ Bender said. “So all the data sets have been very easy for the students to understand as opposed to something that’s not as familiar for them to think about. They know what a song is, they know what the duration of a song is, those things are all very easy to understand. They’re able to practice these new data skills without having to worry about the content as much.” Due to the workshop’s immediate success, Bender is planning on expanding the program during the spring semester. She aims to hold eight workshops, the initial three and then five more, and hopes to make them available for all UD students (they were available only as an undergraduate program in the fall). Reporters who would like to write about the workshop and interview Bender can contact her directly by simply the contact button on her profile. Or, send an email to UD's media relations team.
Expert Help: Augusta University faculty offers financial advice for college students
The world of finances isn't always an easy one for students to navigate. Wendy Habegger, PhD, senior lecturer in the Hull College of Business, suggests several ways college students can improve their financial literacy, even after their collegiate career. Habegger said most don’t have a good grasp of what that is, despite being one of the most foundational building blocks to help students start off on the right foot. “They should know their credit scores just as quickly as their GPA and they should protect it just as vigorously,” Habegger said. She also suggests students have a credit card but with the caveat they use it wisely and be sure to pay their bills in a timely fashion. While they might like using cash, having a credit card will start to build a good credit history that they’ll likely need down the road. “The sooner they get started, the better they are of having good credit when they leave (college),” she added. When looking at their student loans, there are ways they can be better prepared when they start having to pay them back. During that deferral period, she suggests students really consider what a job may pay. Also, when selecting a payment plan for college loans, make sure it’s something they can make monthly payments on without any problems. She also said people need to think about public service jobs that may offer loan forgiveness or asking a potential employer about any loan forgiveness programs. “Some employers out there will offer some sort of that. The military is a good career and they are happy to be help pay off your student loans. Other businesses may offer that as well. It can be a good perk on both sides of the table, for the company and student looking for a first time job.” This is great advice and an important topic, so if you’re a reporter looking to know more, then let us help. Wendy Habegger is a respected finance expert available to offer advice on making the right money moves during volatile times. To arrange an interview, simply click on her icon now.
#Expert Insight: Here’s what can happen when dollar stores move in
Dollar stores - they're everywhere and on of America's fastest growing retail options. From the outside looking in, the idea of dollar stores seem like a win/win all around -- cheaper food, cheaper toys, and just about cheaper everything on offer to consumers looking to save money. However, recent research by UConn Professor Rigoberto Lopez might be pulling back the curtain on the bad deal these new outlets are selling to consumers and communities. Dollar stores have proliferated in recent years, and a study by a University of Connecticut economist has found that they contribute to less healthful food choices in the neighborhoods where they open. That’s because independent grocery stores tend to close in the same areas where the dollar stores open, according to professor Rigoberto Lopez, whose research focuses on agricultural economics. “The dollar store expanding is the fastest-growing retail format, and we also have seen a lot of family, independently owned grocery stores going out of business,” Lopez said. “So we try to link the two and to find not just a statistical correlation, but also we find that indeed when the dollar store comes to the neighborhood these stores tend to go out of business as well.” The low-priced dollar store — primarily Dollar General, Family Dollar and its subsidiary, Dollar Tree — “is the most successful type of format that is proliferating all across the United States, especially in rural areas and food deserts, which are the more underserved areas,” Lopez said. According to the study, published in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, there were 35,000 dollar stores in the United States in 2019 and they were “among the few food retailers” that grew in revenue after the Great Recession of 2008-10, outperforming big box discounters and retail clubs. Between 2000 and 2019, dollar stores opening in a neighborhood resulted in a 5.7% drop in independent grocery store sales, a 3.7% decrease in employment and a 2.3% increase in the likelihood of the grocery stores closing, according to the research. The effects are three times more likely in rural than urban areas, the study found. The dollar stores tend not to offer fresh produce and meats, with foodstuffs being limited to canned and boxed goods. “In general they provide an unhealthier food assortment … and less services,” Lopez said. “They don’t have bakery, butchers, they don’t have a lot of these.” The article also discusses not just the economic aspects, but public health implications as well. Lopez said the dollar stores’ business model is “low prices, low cost, low quality. … But a lot of the food that they sell is not healthy. It’s processed foods that they can store. Keeping fresh food and vegetables costs money.” Dollar stores are not necessarily a negative, if there was not a grocery store in the area before, Lopez said. “Public health advocates, they’re against dollar stores, but a lot of people that visit the dollar store, they prefer to have a dollar store than not to have anything at all in some areas. … But in general … we find if they are driving some of the local businesses out, then that is the negative trend.” Food insecurity and the changing landscape of grocery stores are important topics, and if you have questions or are looking to cover, then let us help. Rigoberto Lopez is the DelFavero Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Connecticut's College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. He is an expert in food systems, marketing, industrial organization, and public policy. Simply click on his icon now to arrange a time to talk today.
Big shift coming to the EV industry
Already a pioneer in the industry, the University of Delaware has once again played a key role in taking electric vehicles to the next level. Researchers there helped bring about new automotive standards that will drive lower-cost charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration and standardize Tesla’s connector so that future U.S.-made EVs will have this technology on it. The two newest standards for electric cars, both approved this month by standards committees of SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers), should bring EV drivers great joy, according to Willett Kempton, professor at the University of Delaware’s Center for Transportation Electrification on UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. Center director Rodney McGee was chairman of the two SAE committees, while postdoctoral researcher Garrett Ejzak, Kempton and administrative assistant Becky Cox played key roles in the engineering, research and policy work undergirding the new EV standards. “These developments mark a big shift for the EV industry,” said Kempton, who is affiliated with research centers in both the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment and the College of Engineering at UD. “Drivers will gain access to more charging stations and lower-cost charging. They will have new options for using their EV to help fight climate change and even make money when plugged in. These changes are likely to spur even greater adoption of EVs for clean, affordable transportation.” The so-called “V2G standard” (SAE J3068) provides the missing link for widespread use of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, which Kempton and his colleagues invented at UD more than two decades ago. “We’ve been doing V2G for 20 years here at the University of Delaware, wondering when the rest of the world would catch on,” Kempton said. “One key missing piece has been a complete standard for controlling and managing V2G, which now exists within SAE J3068.” V2G allows you to plug your EV into an electrical outlet and send power from the car battery back to your local energy utility, making a little income while helping the nation’s power grid. This is becoming increasingly more important as more renewable sources of energy come online. When the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing, EV owners can plug in and “perform important energy-balancing services,” according to Kempton. The savings from V2G can add up. “Our V2G demonstrations show an EV can earn between $100 a year and $1,500 a year. The wide variation is due to different markets and to regulations in different utilities. It also depends on the EV’s capabilities,” Kempton explained. Current EVs need a substantial update or retrofit to be able to do V2G, while new EVs equipped with the signaling technology are expected to be available by 2025. This standard also will make it possible to use your EV as backup power for your house. As extreme weather increases with climate change, that’s a good energy reserve to have when the lights go out. It takes one-and-a-half kilowatts to power the average house, Kempton said. Your electric car can produce 80 kilowatts of power, enough to run a whole house and more. “So, your EV can both help fight climate change and keep your house going when extreme storms happen,” Kempton said. With SAE J3400 now approved, the connector system Tesla developed for EV charging will now be standardized and can be included on future EVs of any brand. The first non-Tesla cars with this technology, also known as the North American Standard Connector, are expected to hit the market in 2025. “This will eliminate Tesla’s monopoly on their charging stations, making them available for use by any new EV,” Kempton said. According to Statista, the U.S. had more than 53,000 public EV charging stations and over 138,000 public charging outlets in May 2023. Visit Kempton's profile and click on the contact button to arrange an interview.
