Many children are still persecuted as alleged witches in Africa for similar reasons
The bloc of big emerging economies is surprisingly good at keeping its promises
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2018/07/27/has-brics-lived-up-to-expectations
Whether a sudden sharp decline in asset prices amounts to a meaningless blip or something more depends on mass psychology
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2018/02/06/how-to-interpret-a-market-plunge
When the experts say tax reform will not pay for itself, the party ignores the experts
Good news for patients is bad news for medical professionals
It is difficult to model the behaviour of creatures as irrepressibly social as humans
Richard Thaler becomes one of very few behavioural economists to receive the discipline’s highest honour
What Charles Kindleberger has to say about cryptocurrencies
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/09/22/bitcoin-is-fiat-money-too
The Fed has announced it will shed assets, but not how many
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/09/20/the-case-against-shrinking-the-feds-balance-sheet
Weak wage growth suggests the economy is not at full employment
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/09/01/is-there-a-wage-growth-puzzle-in-america
No policymaker can accurately predict the future
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/08/04/the-hubris-of-ten-year-budgets
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/07/19/podcast-goodbye-benito
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/07/05/podcast-vorsprung-durch-angst
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/28/podcast-the-italian-bailout-job
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/14/podcast-a-poison-chalice-for-ges-new-boss
But commentators on both sides seem to miss the point
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/06/07/podcast-super-mario-to-the-rescue
Like a parent teaching a child it means business, the Fed may feel it must hike to preserve its credibility with financial markets
A new European Commission proposal moves in a mostly useful direction
Cuts to social programmes are unlikely to improve the health or employment prospects for struggling Americans
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/05/10/podcast-trumponomics
A new proposal for a European Monetary Fund is nonetheless starting a badly-needed discussion
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/05/09/podcast-another-pay-rise
Consumer spending is slowing, but investment is picking up
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/28/americas-economic-growth-slows-to-07
A trial balloon suggests that White House economists are not serious about either growth or deficits
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/18/podcast-a-sweet-story
Policymakers need to learn the difference
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/11/podcast-the-remarkable-calmness-of-gold
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/05/podcast-the-robot-era-is-dawning
Probably not
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/04/03/should-america-break-up-washington
They have ideas for boosting output, even if they prefer to talk redistribution
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/29/podcast-luxury-for-the-masses
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/22/podcast-a-most-unusual-company
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/14/podcast-microsofter
Don’t forget that health reform has cost some Americans dearly
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/08/gm-says-au-revoir-to-europe
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/03/01/podcast-money-talks
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/22/clean-energys-dirty-secret
Are thousands of banking jobs set to migrate from Britain into the eurozone? Patrick Lane discusses potential destinations with host Simon Long. Also: a currency catastrophe in Zimbabwe and the d...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/14/banks-on-the-move
The why of it matters
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/02/08/how-to-make-money-from-digital-entertainment
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/31/a-new-boss-at-the-helm-of-exxon-mobil
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/24/an-experts-guide-to-trumponomics
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/23/davos-in-the-spotlight
New research dives into murky waters
In recent years airlines have gone on an unprecedented shopping spree - but is their luck now running out? We examine how business in Mexico might respond to the looming presidency of Donald Trum...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2017/01/10/turbulence-ahead
The average pay-cheque is now growing faster than at any time since 2009
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/27/we-wish-you-a-merry-reorganisation
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/20/the-most-profitable-time-of-the-year
Trade is not the enemy; disregard for the welfare of the non-rich is
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/16/keep-the-costs-of-trade-in-perspective
But the outlook for 2017 is shrouded in uncertainty
The conservative website Breitbart News is expanding its business into France and Germany after a boost from the American election. Our correspondent Elizabeth Winkler considers its chances of su...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/13/breitbart-and-the-business-of-nationalism
What the dismal science gets right, and what it misses, about American slavery
An ageing population means there aren't enough workers
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/09/why-donald-trump-cant-create-25m-jobs
The size of the programme will be trimmed—unless things get choppy
Rather than giving political advice, economists should rethink their models
RSS feed for the Free exchange Economist blog.
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/06/how-the-weakest-bank-in-europe-just-got-weaker
His labour-market rules helped too few people, too slowly
But economists need to try harder to find solutions
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/12/01/regional-inequality-is-a-hard-problem-to-solve
Soumaya Keynes speaks to leading economist Richard Baldwin about how to mitigate globalisation's destructive effects. Also on the show: South Africa’s debt rating is just one notch above junk. ...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/30/is-the-anger-over-trade-justified
Our New York bureau chief Patrick Foulis argues Donald Trump should relinquish any control over his businesses before moving into the White House. Also on the show: There’s a new set of reforms...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/23/the-fate-of-trump-inc
The dismal science must come to grips with how little it understands society
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/22/the-hole-at-the-heart-of-economics
The world’s biggest social network is finding the media business a tricky one to negotiate
Philip Coggan recaps a week of market reactions to Donald Trump's surprise victory. Simon Rabinovitch discusses how China might use the defeat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in America to asser...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/15/trump-bumps-and-slumps
If sustained, there could be trouble ahead
The end of great stagnations
What to expect in the months and years ahead
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/09/the-economic-consequences-of-donald-trump
One casualty of campaign hyperbole in America has been the reputation of the economy. But Henry Curr challenges the view that it is down in the dumps. John O’Sullivan argues some of the world�...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/08/basket-case-bounce
Understanding the present crisis of political legitimacy
Adrian Wooldridge talks about the political isolation of America’s business class. Ryan Avent assesses the future of the gig economy after a court rules against Uber in Britain. And finally: bu...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/11/01/the-homeless-elite
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On the central banker as a unique talent
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/31/is-mark-carney-indispensable
In the first of our Economist Radio specials from Washington, Money Talks examines the Wall Street versus Main Street argument playing out in the election. Our Buttonwood columnist dissects how m...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/31/wall-street-v-main-street
Will central banks overreact to an overdue pick-up in inflation? Probably.
East Asia and Europe are running massive surpluses with the rest of the world
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/26/global-imbalances-a-pre-crisis-scourge-are-back
In the first of our Economist Radio specials from Washington, Money Talks examines the Wall Street versus Main Street argument playing out in the election. Our Buttonwood columnist dissects how m...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/26/wall-street-v-main-street
It turns out that a free-trade deal is good for trade
Sometimes trade agreements undermine democracy, and sometimes democracy undermines trade agreements
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/23/making-sense-of-the-wallonian-veto
For voters, it's all about time and money
Capital flight is a scourge in Ukraine
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/20/money-has-fled-ukraine-for-decades
Alan Greenspan did not try to pop the housing bubble, and thank goodness
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/19/the-man-who-knew-better
Why short-term pain need not be unbearably painful
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/18/countdown-for-tesla
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There will be fewer low-wage jobs, for better and (sometimes) for worse
If the ageing American expansion expires, premature rate hikes will probably be to blame
Brazil is reminding us what problems economists used to fret about
Philip Coggan joins host Simon Long to explain what's next for the pound in the light of the latest flash crash in its value. Also: Ryan Avent delves into the work that won the latest Economics N...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/11/flash-crash-bang-wallop
Economic adjustments are just one part of the story
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/11/brexit-is-making-britons-poorer-and-meaner
The pair helped the field understand how contracts work
Patrick Lane our banking editor discusses how a hefty fine from the Department of Justice is one of many problems facing Deutsche Bank. Joel Budd says microfinance is making a comeback. And final...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/10/04/deutsches-dilemma
Our economics editor John O'Sullivan reflects on the future of globalisation in a world increasingly hostile to free trade. Soumaya Keynes discusses the merits of cash transfers over food aid for...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/28/navel-gazing-nations
Simon Long hosts as Money talks investigates why UK Prime Minister Theresa May has reversed course on a new nuclear power plant. Also: the great pensions reckoning facing economies worldwide and ...
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/28/nuclear-power-play
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/13/fear-the-corporation
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/09/06/ubers-mega-ambitions
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/30/irelands-forbidden-fruit
But economic conditions will eventually force its hand
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/29/the-fed-has-yet-to-take-monetary-reform-seriously
Cooperation is mostly about coordination
https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/26/how-to-get-poor-countries-out-of-low-trust-ruts
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https://www.economist.com/free-exchange/2016/08/23/treks-and-hikes
That's ok. Politics is how we learn more about the workings of the economy