A few years ago, toward the end of his life, my father battled severe depression. As a physician and professor, he did not lack access to mental health care. But he had grown up in a society that stig ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-16
Support for national and multilateral development banks has grown worldwide in the decade since the global financial crisis. And the continued success of national development banks (NDBs), in particul ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-16
Earlier this year, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier unveiled his “National Industrial Strategy 2030”, which aims to protect German firms against state-subsidized Chinese competitors. The strateg ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-10
On May 23-26, voters across the European Union will go to the polls to elect members of the European Parliament. Much will be at stake. “Never, since World War II, has Europe been as essential,” Frenc ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-10
In today’s irrational world of fake news and bad-faith politics, a new mantra has emerged: It’s all about narratives. Power today lies in one’s ability to tell a story. As a case in point, consider Uk ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-08
Though the unemployment rate and jobless claims are currently lower than at any point since 1969, the US economy is still facing labor-market challenges that cannot be ignored. One stands out: the lon ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-08
Will a possibly imminent US-China trade agreement exacerbate global business cycles or even plant the seeds of the next Asian financial crisis? If the eventual agreement – assuming there is one – forc ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-06
The modern American economy was shaped by four major infrastructure initiatives, each of which was too big for the private sector to take on alone: the continent-wide railroad network, the interstate ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-02
The problem is staggering, even existential. Global emissions of greenhouse gases – especially carbon dioxide – are rapidly driving up global temperatures, transforming life as we know it. If those te ...More
EJ Insight2019-05-02
One of US President Donald Trump’s two intended nominees to fill vacancies on the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors – Herman Cain – has now withdrawn. Trump’s other potential pick, Stephen Moore, ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-29
Mass protests in Algeria and Sudan have recently removed two aging autocrats, ending 20 and 30 years, respectively, of absolutist rule. In both countries, the insurgents are now locked in negotiations ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-24
The political situation in the United States is more unsettled now than at any time since I began covering it, including the Watergate era. President Donald Trump is a desperate, wounded, and unstable ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-23
Financial markets tend to undergo manic-depressive cycles, and this has been especially true in recent years. During risk-ons, investors – driven by “animal spirits” – produce bull markets, frothiness ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-23
In recent decades, social assistance programs around the world have been strengthened to the point that they now benefit more than 2.5 billion people, usually the poorest and most vulnerable. But risi ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-17
Last month, I wrote about the growing divide between economic theory and real-world economic conditions, and reminded readers that economics is still a social science, despite whatever loftier ambitio ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-12
The money-laundering scandals keep rolling in, most recently in Estonia, where a subsidiary of Danske Bank reportedly processed some 200 billion euros (US$225 billion) in suspicious payments from arou ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-10
Kirstjen Nielsen’s forced resignation as US Secretary of Homeland Security is no reason to celebrate. Yes, she presided over the forced separation of families at the US border, notoriously housing you ...More
EJ Insight2019-04-10
