The transformational Vision 2036 Achieving Prosperity for All defines Botswana’s aspirations to chart its way from a middle-income to a high-income economy. Promoting gender equality and granting men and women equal opportunities to participate in the economy are key components of the Government reset agenda for inclusive development. But how can we best support Botswana as it strives to make gender […]
Years of ongoing exposure to conflict have exacted a toll on the mental health of Palestinians. This includes decades of exposure to conflict, restrictions on movements and poor living conditions, particularly for the inhabitants of Gaza who are subject to a partial air and land blockade. In this context we resolved to investigate the mental […]
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming economies and societies, but research on how it is being adopted across firms is still in its early stages, especially at the international level. This column explores the patterns of AI use across 11 countries, focusing on firm characteristics, the role of complementary assets, and the links between AI use […]
In the spirit of unity, let me start with a statement we can all agree on: the EU needs to grow its capital markets. That statement begs at least two big questions. On these, there is less agreement. Firstly, how should we grow them? And secondly, why haven’t they grown more already? A lot of […]
When future generations share the story of plastic pollution, it will include graphic images of turtles choking on plastic debris, zooming out to show beaches and communities laden with trash, and panning to medical reports showing microplastic in the average person’s bloodstream. This is a story that started as an environmental crisis, and quickly became an […]
The growth of digital wallets and popular ‘buy now, pay later’ options raises concerns about social welfare and policy. This column uses data from a world-leading Chinese provider to document that ‘buy now, pay later’ dominates e-wallet transactions and expands FinTech credit to underserved consumers. It also substantially boosts consumer spending, but users – especially […]
While a growing literature has highlighted the role of economic grievances, global transformations, cultural cleavages, and isolation in engendering political discontent, the nexus with local shocks has not yet been explored. This column documents that two earthquakes in Italy resulted in sharply diverging electoral outcomes: while the 2012 Emilia quake did not alter voting behaviour, […]
Automation and digitalisation are progressing rapidly worldwide, auguring improved productivity and living standards but also the prospect of genuine social harm. This column discusses two side effects of automation – increased inequality and a rise in carbon emissions – and proposes a policy response to deal with both problems simultaneously. By imposing a higher tax […]
High and volatile European energy prices are being driven by extraordinarily tight supply-demand balances in energy markets, particularly for natural gas. The primary solution is to reduce demand and the European Union agreed a target to reduce gas demand by 15% compared to the previous five year average between August 2022 and March 2023.This target has subsequently […]
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit fresh 2023 highs on Friday earlier than paring some profits, as a soar in Tesla and technology stocks outweighed jitters across the Federal Reserve’s policy final results and inflation records subsequent week. Tesla Inc shares (TSLA.O) climbed 4.Nine% and were set for their longest triumphing streak on account that […]
