The quiet engine of progress: Scholar networks before the Industrial Revolution
Since the Middle Ages and throughout the early modern period, European universities and academies established dense webs of interpersonal connections among scholars. Using historical data
How real-time data misled policymakers during the post-COVID recovery
Preliminary data releases can diverge significantly from subsequently revised figures, complicating economic policy decisions made in real time. This column shows how real-time GDP releases
Adjusting productivity for carbon emissions: A new perspective on the growth slowdown
Productivity growth has been lacklustre over the past 20 years in most advanced economies. But standard productivity measures ignore the progress that some economies have
Stanley Fischer and the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics: A tribute
Stanley Fischer, the World Bank’s chief economist from January 1988 to August 1990, passed away on May 31, 2025. Stan Fischer’s immense professional contributions to
