Articles
Thinking Outside the Box: How the New York Times Crossword Changed the Game
In this article, Editor Amy Simcoe explains how the New York Times used daily puzzles as an innovative marketing strategy to broaden their engagement and drive new usership. Given that news sources are vying for their share in the attention economy, particularly against social media, this rollout gave the publication a leg-up against competitors. While this strategy allowed the NYT to bridge the gap between fun interactivity with their professional brand image, Simcoe explores how the Games app could set a precedent in blurring the lines between entertainment and news
Deep Dive: Exploring Deep Seek’s Implications on AI Market and Future for Technology
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, is reshaping the global AI and financial landscape by developing high-performing models at a fraction of Western costs. Its R1 model triggered a $1 trillion U.S. market drop, highlighting the disruptive power of AI innovation. As AI adoption accelerates across finance and industry, it also intensifies geopolitical competition, especially between China and the U.S. DeepSeek’s open-source approach democratizes AI access, creating new investment opportunities while raising risks tied to regulation, labor shifts, and tech sovereignty.
Where Tourism Meets Treatment: Unpacking Turkiye’s Medical Tourism Industry
In this editorial, QBR Strategy Editor Yaren Yurdakul explores Turkiye’s medical tourism industry. Despite economic challenges, Türkiye has emerged as a global leader in affordable, high-quality healthcare, attracting millions of patients annually for medical and cosmetic procedures. This piece examines the key factors that drive the industry, such as Turkiye’s geographical location, government-backed incentives, and the role of social media, while also addressing the risks and challenges. Additionally, an exclusive QBR interview with Turkish otolaryngologist Dr. Erdal Gul offers a first-hand perspective on Turkiye’s evolving healthcare industry.
Canada at a Crossroads: Balancing Climate Ambitions with Economic Realities
In our latest editorial, Politics Editor Jonathan Wits delves into Canada’s focus on ambitious climate change initiatives. He argues that they are not only economically burdensome but also out of touch with the struggles of Canadians, fuelling skepticism about climate policies, perpetuating climate change denial, and contributing to growing political division, specifically against the Liberal Party, under the former leadership of Justin Trudeau.
Axing or Backing: The Crossroads of the Carbon Tax Debate
The federal carbon tax has become a focal point of political and public debate in Canada, raising questions about its effectiveness and fairness. QBR Politics and the World Editor Alex Chou examines its fiscal and environmental impacts alongside the regional disparities driving criticism. With Prime Minister Trudeau’s resignation and growing discontent over rising living costs, the tax faces a pivotal moment ahead of an incoming federal election. Is it an essential tool to address climate change or an undue financial burden on the Canadian people?
Innovation at a Crossroads
In this editorial, QBR Senior Politics Editor Amin Nazari delves into the uncertain landscape facing North American startups. As Canada heads toward a pivotal election, the piece examines how policy shifts from deregulation and tax cuts in Washington to stalled reforms and rising capital gains taxes in Ottawa could reshape the continent’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Drawing on global examples and current data, he highlights the precarious balance between fostering cutting-edge innovation and consolidating corporate power, setting the stage for a high-stakes debate on the future of economic growth and technological leadership.
Beyond the Headlines: Gisèle Pelicot
In this editorial, Politics and the World Editor Maya Galvin furthers her preceding QBR article’s conversation regarding women’s fight to have a voice in politics, this time shifting to a citizen-based perspective. She does so by explaining and examining the mass rape trial in France that captured the world’s attention in its three and a half month duration, instilling onlookers with a sense of sheer horror. Galvin highlights the woman at the center of the case, Gisèle Pelicot, focusing less on what was done to her, and instead showcasing Gisèle’s noble fight against rape culture. This article, while zeroing in on France’s antiquated narratives around consent and sexual violence, underscores the global ubiquity of rape culture, ultimately giving the world a much needed reality check regarding where the problem of rape and sexual violence really lies.
Price Discovery: A Brief Overview of the Role of Liquidity in Pricing
Liquidity shapes the valuation and pricing of nearly every asset - real estate, commodities, derivatives, credit to even public equities – liquidity is an important measure in calibrating an equilibrium price. Economics and Policy Editor, Rishab Chakraborty, explores an overview of the role of liquidity in each asset class, and explores many effective price discovery mechanisms and means of measurement. He delves into an overview of the conceptual regulatory, economic, and commercial barriers and promises of liquid markets.
Modern Slavery and Canada’s Workforce
In this editorial, QBR Economics & Policy Editor Tomas Serrano delves into the deep flaws within Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program, revealing how it has become a tool for exploitation under the guise of addressing labor shortages. Originally intended to fill gaps in the workforce, the program has been co-opted by firms seeking to cut costs, leaving foreign workers vulnerable to abuse and Canadian workers grappling with rising unemployment. Serrano examines the power imbalances, lack of protections, and systemic failures that have drawn comparisons to modern slavery. Despite recent reforms, the government’s efforts have fallen short of addressing the mistreatment of foreign workers and the broader economic implications. This article is a compelling call to action for meaningful change to uphold workers' rights and restore integrity to Canada’s labor market.
The Ozempic Economy: Revolutionizing Society One Injection at a Time
Drugs like Ozempic are revolutionizing society, with the potential to alleviate the $173 billion burden of obesity on the U.S. economy while reshaping workplace productivity and consumer spending. Senior Economics and Policy Editor Gefen Shpil examines the broader economic impacts of GLP-1 drugs, from their role in driving Denmark’s unprecedented growth through Novo Nordisk to the challenges of accessibility and corporate benefits policies. This article explores how this pharmaceutical breakthrough could redefine global health and economics, while cautioning against the risks of over-reliance on a single industry.