Navigating the 2022 inflation surge: Lessons for monetary policy frameworks
The 2022 global inflation surge tested inflation-targeting frameworks under severe supply shocks. This column shows that, despite earlier and sharper tightening, inflation targeting central banks
Lessons from Denmark’s eight-hour workday reform
In recent years, calls for shorter working weeks have re-emerged in Europe and elsewhere. This column examines how Denmark’s 1919 shift to the eight-hour workday
How AI can help detect warning signs of financial market stress
Predicting financial market stress is a significant challenge, as traditional models often fail to capture complex and nonlinear dynamics. This column highlights two recent advances
Dutch households spend less of their income on fixed and necessary expenditures
Households with high fixed and necessary expenditures relative to income are more vulnerable to income shocks. This column examines fixed and necessary expenditures for middle-income
The macroeconomic implications of extreme weather events: Insights from advanced economies
Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity, yet their macroeconomic impacts remain poorly understood. This column argues that the highly localised nature of
Data, power and emissions: How AI’s growth may slow down the green transition
AI and other data-intensive technologies may help optimise energy use, but the technologies themselves are power hungry. This column explores how the diffusion of AI
Insuring labour income shocks: The role of the dynasty
Beyond government and market-based insurance, the family remains a key institution for coping with economic risk. This column uses detailed Norwegian data to study how
Africa’s domestic debt boom: New evidence from the African Debt Database
Africa’s total public debt has risen more than fourfold since the early 2000s, but just as important as the increase in debt volumes is the
Strengthening governance and trust in AI-based data dissemination with Proof-Carrying Numbers
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a new gateway to development data, a quiet but significant risk has emerged. Large language models (LLMs) can now summarize
Confusopoly unveiled: How firms use complexity to raise prices
Can entire markets strategically confuse consumers to raise prices? This column tracks the prices of nearly all mobile phone tariffs and handsets in the UK
