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Sophie Mitra

Professor of Economics, Fordham University
Sophie Mitra, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Economics at Fordham University with research interests in development economics, disability, health and applied microeconomics. She is the author of Disability, Health and Human Development (Palgrave MacMillan, Forthcoming September 2017). Recently, she has studied the economic impact of disability and mental illness, multidimensional poverty, the association between disability and poverty, social protection programs, the definition and prevalence of disability. Some of her research on disability and mental illness is interdisciplinary and mixes qualitative, quantitative and participatory methods. She has published in many peer-reviewed journals including the American Economic Review, Health Economics, Social Science and Medicine, World Development. She has received funding from agencies such as the Economic and Social Research Council, the National Institute of Mental Health and the World Bank. Sophie Mitra is co-editor of the Palgrave Studies in Disability and International Development and is also a fellow of the Human Development and Capability Association and a senior research associate at the Center for International Policy Studies (Fordham).

Whether GDP swings up or down, there are limits to what it says about the economy and your place in it

May 04, 2025 07:18 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released the latest U.S. gross domestic product data on April 30. In the first three months of 2025, it said, GDP contracted by 0.3%. The GDP growth rate captures the pace at which the total...

Social Security benefits play key role in preventing older Americans from lacking enough quality food

Jun 29, 2022 14:16 pm UTC| Life

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Social Security benefits make it easier for older Americans to afford the food they need to live a healthy, active life, according to...

Americans, stop obsessing over GDP

Aug 08, 2018 13:16 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis on July 27 released the GDP growth rate for the second quarter of 2018: 4.1 percent. GDP or gross domestic product is the rate at which the total value of goods and services produced in...

Economy

Moody’s Downgrade Sparks GOP Divide Over U.S. Debt and Trump’s Tax Bill

Moodys recent downgrade of the U.S. sovereign credit rating from AAA to Aa1 has stirred a sharp response from Republicans in Congress, revealing deep divisions over fiscal policy and President Donald Trumps proposed tax...

Trump Urges Fed to Cut Interest Rates, Criticizes Powell

U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates sooner rather than later, emphasizing the growing consensus for easing monetary policy. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump also took a...

Vietnam, U.S. Begin Key Trade Talks Amid Looming Tariff Threat

Vietnam and the United States held their first direct ministerial-level trade negotiations on Friday in Jeju, South Korea, following the APEC Ministerial Meeting. The discussions come ahead of a potentially crippling 46%...

GOP Infighting Blocks Trump Tax Bill Amid Moody’s U.S. Credit Downgrade

Hardline Republicans in the U.S. House blocked President Donald Trumps proposed tax bill on Friday, just hours before Moodys downgraded the U.S. governments credit rating due to surging debt. The bill, aimed at extending...

Wall Street Rallies for Fifth Day Amid Tariff Truce and Rate Cut Hopes

Wall Street closed higher on Friday, marking its fifth consecutive day of gains, as investors reacted positively to easing U.S.-China trade tensions despite concerning economic data. The SP 500, Nasdaq, and Dow all posted...

Politics

Trump to Speak With Putin and Zelenskiy Amid Renewed Ceasefire Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday in a push to broker a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. This...

Trump Urges Walmart to Absorb Tariffs Amid Rising Prices

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Walmart for attributing rising prices to tariffs on Chinese imports, urging the retail giant to eat the tariffs instead of passing costs to consumers. Trumps remarks followed Walmarts...

Europe Focuses on Ukraine Ceasefire, Not Troop Deployment

Europe is prioritizing an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine over any discussions of deploying troops, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Speaking in Rome, Merz...

Germany Rules Out UniCredit Takeover Bid for Commerzbank—For Now

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has downplayed the likelihood of Italys UniCredit launching a full acquisition of German lender Commerzbank (ETR: CBKG) in the near term. Speaking at a press conference in Rome after...

EU Plans New Sanctions on Russia as Peace Talks Stall

The European Union is preparing a new round of sanctions to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the ongoing war in Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during the European...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

Museums have tons of data, and AI could make it more accessible − but standardizing and organizing it across fields won’t be easy

Ice cores in freezers, dinosaurs on display, fish in jars, birds in boxes, human remains and ancient artifacts from long gone civilizations that few people ever see museum collections are filled with all this and more....

Technology

xAI Responds to Grok Chatbot Controversy Over South Africa Comments

Elon Musks AI company, xAI, has addressed growing concerns after its Grok chatbot referenced a debunked conspiracy theory about a white genocide in South Africa. The company said on Thursday that the incident stemmed from...

Fortnite Blocked on iPhones Amid Ongoing Epic Games and Apple Dispute

Fortnite, the globally popular video game by Epic Games, is currently unavailable on Apples iPhone devices across the U.S. and European Union. Epic confirmed that the game cannot be accessed via Apples iOS or App Store...

xAI Investigates Grok Incident Involving Unsolicited South Africa Comments

Elon Musks AI startup xAI addressed concerns on Friday following a controversial incident where its Grok chatbot made unsolicited remarks about race relations in South Africa. The company attributed the issue to an...

Nvidia to Launch Shanghai R&D Hub Amid Stricter US Export Curbs

Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) is set to establish a research and development center in Shanghai, according to a report by the Financial Times. The move comes as the U.S. intensifies export restrictions on advanced...

China Criticizes U.S. Over Export Guidance Targeting Huawei AI Chips

China has sharply criticized recent U.S. export guidance targeting Huaweis Ascend AI chips, claiming it threatens the stability of global semiconductor supply chains. The warning followed new guidance from the U.S....