Sheila and Robert Challey Institute for Global Innovation and Growth

You don’t have to fall for a scam to pay for one.

In a new op-ed, Challey Institute Research Specialist Baishali Rahman shares how online scams function as a hidden tax on the digital economy, paid for not just by victims, but by businesses and consumers absorbing the cost of added security and fraud prevention.

Rahman explains that combatting fraud and scams requires combined effort: individual vigilance, service providers and banks flagging risky transactions and making reporting easier, and government agencies coordinating on real-time information sharing and building a unified fraud-data system.

Read the full op-ed: https://dcjournal.com/the-hidden-tax-of-online-scams/

Challey Institute Research Specialist Ricky Feir was featured on WDAY-TV and in the Fargo Forum discussing child care regulations in North Dakota.

Feir’s research finds the state ranks 37th out of 50 for “child care freedom,” making it one of the more restrictive states in the country.

Those rules can have real consequences for families and providers including higher costs, fewer available positions, and challenges for providers trying to hire and retain staff.

Feir points to long-term reforms, including more moderate child-to-staff ratio requirements, as one way to ease pressure on families while helping providers stay open and staffed.

Read the full story: https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/ndsu-study-highlights-childcare-challenges-in-north-dakota

The label changed. The value did not.

In a new policy brief, Challey Institute Research Specialist Tiange (Sheryl) Du, PhD explains that although tariffs have reduced direct imports from China, they don’t necessarily eliminate the Chinese value embedded in goods consumed by U.S. buyers.

China simply rerouted production and final assembly to other countries, while Chinese inputs, services, and business networks still support the production of those goods.

Du argues that tariffs are often a poor fit for addressing the real problems in the U.S.-China relationship. She suggests shifting focus away from tariffs and toward the rules and barriers that shape where value is actually created.

Read the full policy brief:https://www.ndsu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/DoTariffsImproveTradeWithChina.pdf

What happens when emergency powers outlast the emergency?

New research from Challey Institute Non-Resident Fellow Raymond J. March and his co-author examines how authorities consolidated under HHS during the COVID-19 pandemic remained in place after the crisis faded.

Their argument is simple: rebuilding trust in public health agencies requires more than changing who holds power. It requires placing limits on the power itself.

Read the full paper:https://www.ndsu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/PublicHealthPolicyConsolidationAfterthePandemicPaper.pdf

Good Samaritan laws were designed to encourage people to call 911 during a drug overdose by reducing fear of arrest.

In a new Governing op-ed, Challey Institute Non-Resident Fellow Raymond J. March argues these laws may also be doing something unexpected: disrupting illicit drug markets.

Drawing on their new research, March and his co-authors find that states adopting Good Samaritan laws saw significantly fewer arrests for illicit drug sales, with the largest decline in synthetic narcotics, the category that includes fentanyl.

The laws are not a silver bullet for the opioid crisis. But March argues they may be changing the risks around overdose scenes and creating real uncertainty for illicit drug sellers.

That makes their design worth taking seriously.

Read the full op-ed: https://www.governing.com/policy/good-samaritan-laws-unexpected-benefit-scaring-off-drug-dealers

Tune in to WDAY this Sunday night at 5:30 and 10 p.m. as Challey Institute Research Specialist Ricky Feir discusses the impact of childcare regulations in North Dakota and Minnesota.

Congratulations to Challey Institute Mancur Olson Graduate Fellow Olabode Amusan on his acceptance into Harvard Business School’s Foundry Bootcamp!

This four-week program helps founders turn research breakthroughs and early-stage ideas into fundable ventures.

Olabode’s research focuses on developing graph-based learning techniques to support the security and resilience of electric power systems.

We can’t wait to see how this experience advances his work. Congratulations, Olabode!

Read more about his achievement here: https://www.ndsu.edu/news/2026-05-29-ndsu-doctoral-students-selected-harvard-business-school-bootcamp

Should states ban new data centers altogether?

In a new op-ed, Robert Mayo argues that blanket moratoriums on data centers are the wrong approach. While concerns about energy use and infrastructure are real, he explains that communities already have tools to regulate projects locally and negotiate better outcomes.

The difference isn’t regulation versus no regulation. It’s whether projects are planned responsibly and whether communities have a seat at the table.

Read the full op-ed: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/4579636/data-center-bans-dont-protect-communities-they-paralyze-them/

What happens when one of the world’s most important trade routes becomes uncertain?

In a new op-ed, Ahmad Al Asady explains why disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz affect far more than oil prices. Disruptions to global trade routes affect everything from shipping costs and fertilizer supplies to business investment and consumer prices around the world.

The piece explores why reliable trade routes matter for innovation, economic growth, and long-term business investment, both in the Gulf region and here in the U.S.

Read the full op-ed: https://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2026/05/20/hormuz_must_function_as_infrastructure_not_leverage_1183466.html