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
Speaking of debt: Framing, guilt, and economic choices
In many Germanic languages, the word for ‘debt’ also means ‘guilt’. This column explores whether the linguistic overlap leads to greater debt aversion in Germany,
Dollar slips as traders focus on Fed cut bets, risk sentiment improves
Markets pricing in Fed rate cuts for both October and December. The U.S. dollar slipped against a basket of peers on Wednesday after comments from
Yen and euro struggle as Japan and France’s political dramas heat up
French political quagmire leaves euro at two-month lows. The yen stabilised on Friday but was still headed for its steepest weekly drop in a year
Greening GovTech: Digital transformation for climate action
Around the world, governments are racing to digitize services and tackle climate change. Yet too often, these efforts happen in silos—or even pull in opposite
