GDP growth appears to be on a global slowdown. This column uses survey data from individuals across 161 countries since 1990 and data for the US going back to 1958 to provide evidence of a robust connection between citizens’ experiences with economic growth and their perceived trust in government. As the state relies on citizen […]
Cognitive skills are commonly assumed to begin deteriorating from the age of 30, which could pose a significant challenge for rapidly ageing populations. But this assumption relies largely on cross-sectional data that cannot distinguish between ageing patterns and cohort differences. Using German longitudinal data, this column finds that skills, on average, increase markedly into one’s […]
Consumers have vastly different views about inflation – shaped by personal experience, financial literacy, and exposure to economic news. This column examines how consumers’ housing status shapes the attention they pay to inflation and their subsequent spending decisions, demonstrating marked differences between renters and homeowners. In an experiment conducted with US households between 2021 and […]
Over the past decade, China has shifted towards greater self-reliance while enhancing its export competitiveness in advanced economy markets. This column introduces a new index to assess sectoral trade alignment across countries. China is importing fewer goods typically exported by advanced economies, while its exports increasingly resemble their import needs. This shift is intensifying competition […]
