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
The early takeoff of space innovation
The conventional account of US space sector transformation credits the post-2005 entry of SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other commercial firms with revitalising a stagnant industry.
Making AI work: From promise to practice
AI is here. Over 3 billion people globally use generative AI (genAI) like ChatGPT or Baidu’s Erni Bot monthly. AI helped researchers discover new proteins (and get
New coins on the block: Digital currencies and the financial system
The crypto system is no longer a sideshow. Dollar stablecoins now put dollar claims into circulation well beyond the regulated US banking perimeter, and cryptoisation
The transatlantic divide in labour’s share of income
Across advanced economies, workers have been receiving a smaller share of national incomes. This column compares the evolution of labour’s share of income in Europe
The inefficient pricing of news
The main obstacle to market efficiency is whether investors can read, process, and quickly extract genuinely new information from articles. This column uses large language
Europe needs a strategy to close the artificial intelligence compute gap
In its bid to compete with the US on AI, Europe could learn from both China and from the classic Airbus industrial policy case. The
When the ruler is made of the thing it measures: Multi-model evidence on AI occupational exposure scores
To estimate how AI is reshaping work, it is now standard to ask AI itself to score how exposed each occupation is. The instrument is
The EU’s path to service growth and clean tech
The US is taking actions to reshore manufacturing while largely abandoning decarbonisation. This column argues that, in response, the EU should capitalise on the potential
How traffic demand management can improve access, equity, and jobs in transit-oriented cities
Cities around the world are grappling with how to expand access to jobs and services while reducing congestion, lowering emissions, and building transport systems that
