The Economist (May 11, 2023) – As America’s government hits the debt ceiling, US politics has become a multi-trillion dollar game of chicken. If neither side backs down, America could default on its debts for the first time in history, sparking global economic turmoil. What is the debt ceiling, and how can this crisis be resolved?
Category Archives: Economics
Opinion: A World In Fiscal Fantasy, Can Turkey Sack Erdogan, King Charles III
The Economist ‘Editor’s Picks’ Podcast (May8 , 2023) – Three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, governments are living in a fiscal fantasyland, why Turkey is holding the most important election this year (11:02) and the coronation of King Charles III (17:30).
Previews: The Economist Magazine – May 6, 2023

The Economist – May 6, 2023 issue:
Governments are living in a fiscal fantasyland

The world over, they are failing to confront the dire state of their finances
If Turkey sacks its strongman, democrats everywhere should take heart

After 20 years of increasingly autocratic rule, Recep Tayyip Erdogan risks eviction by voters
Time to engage (very carefully) with the Taliban

Isolating the mullahs is not working. The West needs a more constructive approach
Previews: The Economist Magazine – April 29, 2023
The Economist – April 29, 2023 issue:
As Israel turns 75, its biggest threats now come from within

The country needs a new political settlement that diminishes the power of extremists
As israel marks its 75th anniversary, take a moment to admire how it has triumphed against the odds. Before it declared independence in 1948 its own generals warned that it had only a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Today Israel is hugely rich, safer than it has been for most of its history, and democratic—if, that is, you are prepared to exclude the territories it occupies. It has overcome wars, droughts and poverty with few natural endowments other than human grit. It is an outlier in the Middle East, a hub of innovation and a winner from globalisation.
The West should supply Ukraine with F-16s
Or Russian fighter jets may win control of Ukrainian skies

As Ukraine prepares its forces for a crucial counter-offensive, the argument among its Western allies about what equipment to provide chunters on. Having finally received the tanks it had been pleading for since last year, Ukraine has increased the intensity of its demands for fighter jets. Yet its pleas are falling on largely deaf ears.
Previews: The Economist Magazine – April 22, 2023

The Economist – April 22, 2023 issue: This week’s worldwide cover considers the rapid progress being made by artificial intelligence (ai). The technology is arousing a mixture of fear and excitement. The key to regulating it is to balance its promise with an assessment of its risks—and to be ready to adapt.
Large, creative AI models will transform lives and labour markets

They bring enormous promise and peril. But how do they work?
Is the worst now over for America’s banks?

In order to assess the damage, we look at three financial institutions
In Sudan and beyond, the trend towards global peace has been reversed
Conflicts are growing longer. Blame complexity, criminality and climate change
Previews: The Economist Magazine – April 15, 2023
The Economist – April 15, 2023 issue:
The lessons from America’s astonishing economic record

The world’s biggest economy is leaving its peers ever further in the dust
Can the West win over the rest?

In a more transactional world the price of influence is going up
Emmanuel Macron’s blunder over Taiwan

The French leader has made a dangerous situation worse
Previews: The Economist Magazine – April 8, 2023
The Economist – April 8, 2023 issue:
The case for an environmentalism that builds

Economic growth should help, not hinder, the fight against climate change
The sheer majesty of a five-megawatt wind turbine, its central support the height of a skyscraper, its airliner-wingspan rotors tilling the sky, is hard to deny.
What America has got wrong about gender medicine
Too many doctors have suspended their professional judgment

For many Americans, the great tragedy of trans rights is the story of how Republican governors and state legislatures are stigmatising some of society’s most put-upon people—all too often in a cynical search for votes. This newspaper shares their dismay at these vicious tactics. In a free society it is not the government’s place to tell adults how to live and dress, which pronouns to use, or what to do with their bodies.
Finance: Why Do U.S. Banks Keep Going Bankrupt?
CNBC (April 3, 2023) – The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Credit Suisse were a harsh reminder of how quickly a trusted institution could fail, putting billions of dollars at risk.
Over 550 banks have collapsed since 2001, according to the FDIC. So what exactly causes a bank to fail? And what implications does it have on the U.S. economy?
Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 01:41 — Chapter 1 05:28 — Chapter 2 08:55 — Chapter 3
Rent Inflation: The Rise Of New ‘Luxury’ Apartments
CNBC (April 2, 2023) – An apartment building boom is unfolding in cities across the U.S. Many of the new units come with “luxury” amenities, like pools and fast-access to transportation. Experts say the uptick in supply is welcome news, but won’t ease rent inflation anytime soon.
Chapters: 0:00 — Introduction 1:09 — Chapter 1: “Luxury” 5:42 — Chapter 2: Policy 9:55 — Chapter 3: Increasing supply
As a result, many cities remain stuck in a price-elevating housing shortage. Washington lawmakers are now scrutinizing regulations that slow the pace of homebuilding, in an attempt to slow rent inflation.
Previews: The Economist Magazine – March 25, 2023
The Economist – April 1, 2023 issue:
Why the China-US contest is entering a new and more dangerous phase

Chinese officials rage at what they see as American bullying
You may have hoped that when China reopened and face-to-face contact resumed between politicians, diplomats and businesspeople, Sino-American tensions would ease in a flurry of dinners, summits and small talk. But the atmosphere in Beijing just now reveals that the world’s most important relationship has become more embittered and hostile than ever.
How to fix the global rice crisis

The world’s most important crop is fuelling climate change and diabetes
The green revolution was one of the greatest feats of human ingenuity. By promoting higher-yielding varieties of wheat and, especially, rice, plant-breeders in India, Mexico and the Philippines helped China emerge from a famine and India avoid one. From 1965 to 1995 Asia’s rice yields doubled and its poverty almost halved, even as its population soared.
Israel should not squander the opportunity for meaningful constitutional talks

The government’s retreat has pulled Israel back from the brink. But its people remain deeply divided
Israel’s citizens have won a rare victory after marching, week after week, to defend judicial independence and the character of their democracy. On March 27th they forced their prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to suspend his plan to rein in the courts. Yet, although the crisis has abated, it has not passed.