Financial regulation: Catalyst for sustainable economic development
The real objective should be to transform the insurance sector into one with real economic and developmental impact. There is a pivotal role for supervisory
Cheaper machines, costlier buildings: The drag on long-run growth
The steady decline in the relative price of equipment has long been seen as a primary engine of long-run growth. This column documents a quieter,
From European public goods to a European safe asset: A pragmatic roadmap
The search for a European safe asset has generated no shortage of proposals, but these proposals require, from the outset, a degree of mutual trust
Industrial policy, tariffs, and the return of global imbalances
Has the rise of industrial policy driven an increase in global current account imbalances? Can tariffs fix them? This column revisits these questions. Looking at
Global economic outlook hangs in balance between geopolitical headwinds and AI boost, WEF Chief Economists’ Outlook warns
Nearly nine in ten chief economists surveyed expect global growth to weaken over the next 12 months. The global economic outlook has deteriorated sharply in
South Asia opens up: How trade reforms impact households and sectors
Over the next decade, about 280 million people will come of working age in South Asia. The region needs a robust growth engine to create jobs
Can we even measure progress? The state of development data
Imagine you’ve just been appointed Minister of Finance. Tomorrow morning, you must decide where to build schools and clinics, how much to borrow, and which
Corporate net zero targets: Neither greenwashing nor a gamechanger
Net zero commitments have become a central feature of corporate climate strategy. This column analyses whether firms adopting such targets subsequently reduce emissions or strengthen
The different effects of oil and gas supply shocks on euro area inflation
The surge in energy prices since March 2026 has revived questions about the pass-through to consumer prices. This column argues that oil supply shocks have
The effects of geopolitical supply chain shocks on policy preferences of firms
Do geopolitical shocks to supply chains make firms retreat from globalisation? Using new survey data from 1,855 manufacturing firms in Japan, this column shows that
