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World Economy Featured Finance News

The State of Development Journals 2025: Quality, Acceptance Rates, Review Times, Open Access, and What’s New

This is the ninth in my annual series of efforts to put together data on development economics journals that is not otherwise publicly available or easy to access (see 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 for the previous editions). I once again thank all the journal editors and editorial staff who graciously shared their statistics with me. Journal Quality I compare journals […]

World Economy Featured Finance News

Global growth concerns to weigh on metal prices

The World Bank’s metals and minerals price index edged up by 3 percent in May, partially recovering from an 8 percent plunge in April that had erased gains from early 2025. Metal prices have recently been shaped by rising global economic uncertainty and intensifying trade tensions. Prices are expected to decline through 2025 and 2026, […]

poverty Development Economy Featured Finance World

Most of the developing world is turning into a development-free zone

Only six months ago, a “soft landing” appeared to be in sight: the global economy was stabilizing after an extraordinary string of calamities both natural and man-made over the past few years. That moment has passed. The world economy today is once more running into turbulence. Without a swift course correction, the harm to living standards […]

Economy Development Environment Featured

Charting a smarter ocean future for Thailand

Thailand’s coastal and marine resources are vital engines of growth. From pristine beaches that attract millions of tourists each year to the Eastern Economic Corridor that supports production and trade, the country’s “blue economy” involving 23 coastal provinces is estimated to contribute around 30 percent of  Thailand’s GDP and one-fourth of the nation’s employment. As Thailand […]

Lifestyle Featured Gender World

How to avoid unintended consequences in intimate-partner violence prevention programs

In the quest to promote women’s rights and opportunities and reduce intimate-partner violence (IPV), well-intentioned programs can sometimes yield results opposed to their goal. A recent paper sheds light on the surprising and concerning outcome of an IPV prevention program in Rwanda. The program, designed to improve communication and promote gender equality among couples, unexpectedly led to a […]

trade Featured Finance News World

The 2025 trade war: Dynamic impacts across US states and the global economy

In 2025, the US government announced a series of tariff increases targeting major trading partners, including Canada, China, and Mexico. This column estimates the economic consequences of these proposed tariffs to the US and globally. According to this model, real wages in the US decline by 1.4% in 2028 and GDP falls by approximately 1%, […]

Economy Business Employment Featured

Employment protection legislation reforms and the rising cost of job loss

A widely cited argument in favour of easing employment protection rules is that greater flexibility in hiring and firing can lead to increased job matching efficiency and productivity, but this may come at a cost for certain groups of workers. This column examines the impact of the 2012 ‘Fornero Reform’ in Italy, which lowered the […]

World Economy Featured News trade

Trump’s tariffs: Disregarding lessons from history and scenarios and probable outcomes

History is full of evidence that tariffs harm economic performance. This column assesses the two waves of globalisation in modern history and how they were interrupted by barriers to trade. The first wave started in the mid-19th century and lasted until WWI, while the second wave started after WWII and lasted until the Global Crisis […]