United States

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M&A as a Bridge to a Flourishing Future for All

As a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisor, I consider my line of work narrow and broad in equal measure when it comes to creating a flourishing future for all. Mergers and acquisitions are, in a purely technical sense, economic...
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An image of a woman named Vanessa Dager. She is standing against a city building background and smiling at the camera. She has white skin and shoulder-length brown hair, and she is wearing a blue blazer with gold buttons over a white shirt.

Vanessa Dager

Managing Director, Head of M&A and Advisory, North America, BNP Paribas
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Shaping Sustainable AI Through Investment

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) across various sectors can be a pivotal force in the creation of a flourishing future for all. It is now obvious that AI offers unprecedented opportunities to address complex global challenges...
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Mathias Burghardt

Executive Vice-President and CEO, Ardian France
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Reinvigorating the Career Pathways for Veterans

For the past decade, veterans in the United States workforce have struggled with issues of underemployment and their ability to effectively utilize their training. However, one area in which they have been able to reliably count on is their...
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Kevin Klowden

Formerly Milken Institute
A pile of various rubbish items, mud, and rocks, leading into an article titled "Weather and Waste: Rethinking Small Business Support Following a Natural Disaster".

Weather and Waste: Rethinking Small Business Support Following a Natural Disaster

As of November 1, 2024, one each of 24 confirmed weather-related disasters in the United States caused damage associated with losses exceeding $1 billion. The year was one of the costliest since 1980. Nationally, the annual number of...
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Kristen Fanarakis

Associate Director, Small Business, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Growth
Kristen Fanarakis leads the small business policy, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiative within the Milken Institute’s Finance pillar. She focuses on the macroeconomic and systemic trends affecting American small businesses and startups, and the implications for the economy and innovation.
A city street with low-rise connected buildings lining the street and a snowy mountain background, leading to an article titled "The Rise of Mid-Sized American Cities: The Drivers of Perfectly-Sized Growth"

The Rise of Mid-Sized American Cities: The Drivers of Perfectly-Sized Growth

Last week I had the pleasure of talking with the mayors of Raleigh, NC, and Ogden, UT, about the factors that have propelled their cities to the top of our list of best-performing large cities in this year’s Best-Performing Cities report...
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Maggie Switek, PhD

Senior Director, Research
Maggie Switek, PhD, is a senior director on the research team at the Milken Institute. She heads all projects related to economic growth and opportunities across regions and communities in the US and abroad.