Showing 1 - 10 of 50
It's the economic history, stupid
Oped, Iker Saitua, Published on 14/01/2026
» Every year, I walk into a first-year lecture hall in Bilbao at the University of the Basque Country (EHU) and watch shoulders slump. The title of the course I'm teaching -- "Economic History" -- draws a similarly dejected reaction from my students: "Meh." "Boooring." "What's this even for?" Some call it "the history class", as if it belonged to another century.
Derelict outpost
Oped, Postbag, Published on 03/12/2025
» Re: Toxic threat sweeps all before it", (BP, Dec 1). Your recent report left me more than a little confused about a village I have known for 37 years. The description bore little resemblance to the village I visit maybe four times a week when I visit my local supermarket or withdraw money from the ATM. Those golden years of rafting took place before the highway was constructed over the mountain range.
Adam Smith and the moral economy we have lost
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 12/11/2025
» With the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations approaching next year, the world is gearing up to honour Adam Smith. But which Smith should be recognised? The hard-nosed "founding father" of modern economics, or the philosopher who wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments? Scholars have wrestled with this question, a riddle known as "Das Adam Smith Problem", for centuries, because it concerns not just dualities within Smith's thought, but also our own uneasy relationship with morality and markets.
Rethinking finance beyond aid
Oped, Justin Yifu Lin & Yan Wang, Published on 06/11/2025
» Traditional donors have sharply scaled back their aid commitments to developing countries over the past year. Some, like the United States, have virtually eliminated their aid programmes. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), official development assistance (ODA) from member countries declined by 7.1% in 2024, its first annual drop in six years.
Is there a case for IMF gold sales?
News, Tim Hirschel-Burns & Marina Zucker-Marques, Published on 14/10/2025
» With developing countries facing intense financial pressure and developed countries slashing foreign aid, it can be tempting to dream of stumbling across a pot of gold. Dream no longer: The International Monetary Fund is currently sitting on 90.5 million ounces of the metal.
The future Asean Economic Community
Oped, Satvinder Singh, Published on 01/10/2025
» This year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has launched the bloc's new goal -- New Asean 2045: Our Shared Future and its Strategic Plans. Under this, it is worth reflecting on the words of Vincent Van Gogh: Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Fare hike fury
Oped, Postbag, Published on 16/09/2025
» Re: "Cabs can catch up", (Editorial, May 27).
Dollar haven status may always have been a mirage
News, Mike Dolan, Published on 10/09/2025
» The dollar's sharp drop in April during a burst of tariff-related financial stress called into question what many had assumed to be its critical function as a safety trade. Some now wonder whether that haven status was ever truly warranted.
Can a country build its own social media?
News, Sebastian Vogelsang, Published on 26/07/2025
» When I built my first website back in 1998, the internet felt expansive. You could publish something in Berlin, and someone in Boston or Belgrade might stumble on it within seconds. But today, as a small number of tech monopolies hoover up attention and strangle innovation, that spirit of connection has been lost.
Getting sustainable debt right
News, Kevin P. Gallagher & José Antonio Ocampo & Kunal Sen, Published on 19/05/2025
» A slowing global economy, rising trade tensions, and increased risks of recession could mean a perfect storm for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) burdened by high sovereign debt. Faced with exorbitant borrowing costs and an increasingly jittery international environment, these countries' potential for economic growth and development will be severely curtailed.