Demand versus supply: Drivers of the post-pandemic inflation and interest rates
Whether post-pandemic inflation can be explained by demand-side versus supply-side factors is critical for setting monetary policy. Nevertheless, there is widespread disagreement about the underlying
Managing to cope with natural disasters
Human-induced climate change is making disasters more frequent and more intense. Policy could help reduce the economic costs of climate change by helping firms withstand
Trust, intangible assets, and productivity
Business environments dominated by information flows and autonomous tasks, typical of knowledge-intensive industries, are likely to require enough social capital to be viable and productive.
The impact of road connectivity on fertility and child health in rural India
Expansion in access to public infrastructure has been found to improve a host of development outcomes. This column uses variation in the access to paved
The state of gender inequality in Latin America
Women in Latin America have higher educational attainment than men, and gender inequality in maths and reading scores has fallen over time. Yet, gender gaps
The speed of firm response to inflation
Firm inflation expectations are a key driver of future price growth. This column uses a large economy-wide business survey to understand the response of firms
The green transition and public finances: Balancing climate mitigation and fiscal sustainability
The need to mitigate climate change has never been more urgent. Governments play a critical role in the green transition, through green public investment, subsidies,
Enhancing mothers’ employment quality through longer school schedules: Lessons from Chile
Working mothers often face lower wages, fewer formal contracts, and less job security than their male counterparts, a disparity that is exacerbated by traditional gender
Heterogeneity in gender differences in willingness to guess
Multiple-choice tests are widely used to evaluate job candidates, but attitudes towards risk can influence gender differences in test performance. This column analyses data from
Software’s impact on labour’s income share: New evidence
The declining labour share of income in advanced economies is an important topic for policymakers. This column studies how different types of capital interact with
