Taking the pulse of global trade policy
How much has trade policy changed globally? This column introduces the Trade Policy Activity Index, a monthly measure of policy changes across 197 economies since
Not all reserves are born equal: Why the source matters for sovereign risk
Emerging market economies hold foreign exchange reserves to insure against currency crises and to cushion exchange rate movements. Reserves are generally associated with lower sovereign
Regulation and growth reloaded: Lessons from 25 years of retail trade and professional services reforms
Retail trade and professional services employ a large share of workers across OECD countries and provide key intermediate inputs to downstream sectors. This column examines
The unequal burden of oil shocks: Labour markets and monetary policy
The war in Iran has sent oil prices sharply higher, reviving the question of who bears the cost of energy shocks and how central banks
When private insurance buys faster access to public care
Supplemental private health insurance is becoming more common in universal healthcare systems as a way to secure faster access to specialists, diagnostics, and elective care.
Pension funds, unlisted firms, and Europe’s Capital Markets Union
Europe’s Capital Markets Union debate is again centred on how to turn savings into productive investment. This column uses Danish ownership and register data to
Increasing employment in pre-retirement years slows cognitive decline
Dementia affects an estimated 6 million Americans. This column uses data from the Health and Retirement Study spanning 1996-2018 to assess the impact of employment
The right balance: how to fix European Union artificial intelligence regulation
EU AI regulation should trade lower ex-ante burden for robust ex-post monitoring, judicial review and liability to curb harms without stifling markets. The European Union’s
When oil is scarce and debt is binding: policy sequencing under a severe energy supply shock
With inflation still binding and fiscal space thin, the 2026 Iran shock revives the case for pre-committed, conditional yield anchors with clear exit. The 2026
How Can We Equip People to Ride the AI Wave
More than 50 years ago, Nobel laureate Theodore Schultz, a pioneer of human capital theory, offered an insight into what people need to weather the
