Climate fairness, economic development, and Europe’s responsibility
The idea of equal cumulative emissions per person is simple: every individual should have an equal claim on the atmosphere regardless of where they live.
The economic footprint of Europe’s defence build-up
Defence policy is usually discussed as a national security issue, but its economic effects are often highly local. This column presents new evidence from 1,011
A generational challenge: Turning a record youth surge into a jobs dividend
Between 2025 and 2035, the largest-ever cohort of young people in emerging market and developing economies will reach working age. Slowing growth, overlapping crises, tight
When private insurance buys faster access to public care
Supplemental private health insurance is becoming more common in universal healthcare systems as a way to secure faster access to specialists, diagnostics, and elective care.
Increasing employment in pre-retirement years slows cognitive decline
Dementia affects an estimated 6 million Americans. This column uses data from the Health and Retirement Study spanning 1996-2018 to assess the impact of employment
Why some digital payment systems replace cash and others don’t
Digital payment systems promise to extend financial services to people underserved by banks, and overcoming barriers to the adoption of such systems is thus central
Why the post-pandemic US immigration surge barely moved inflation
The US experienced a large immigration surge between 2021 and 2024, which coincided with a period of high and then falling inflation. This column shows
Availability, accessibility, affordability of quality food are vital for food security, says FAO
The Director-General emphasised that the “Four Levels of Food” provide a crucial roadmap for enhancing food security. However, he noted that implementation requires systemic coherence.
When privacy protects but excludes: The hidden costs of data restrictions in digital lending
Privacy regulations empower consumers, but they can also cut off credit for the populations that digital lenders were built to serve. Using application-level data on
Electoral systems and immigration policies
Immigration has become one of the most salient issues in political debate. This column uses evidence from Italian municipal elections to highlight the role of
