Showing 1 - 10 of 362
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.
Nuanced Thai smiles
Oped, Postbag, Published on 09/01/2026
» Re: " 'Mai pen rai' paradox: from kindness to toxic silence", (Life, Jan 7). This is an excellent article, but alas goes down a rabbit hole, akin to mitigating daily road fatalities and addressing other issues often lamented in this column that we're acquainted with.
The end of China's one-child policy, 10 years later
Oped, Yi Fuxian, Published on 09/01/2026
» Jan 1 marked a decade since China repealed its one-child policy. Just ten days earlier, Peng Peiyun, who long oversaw the often-brutal enforcement of China's family-planning rules, died at the age of 96, having never been held accountable for her actions. Some obituaries praised Peng for being "reform-minded", even though, in practice, she only perpetuated an utterly inhumane policy, whose consequences have barely begun to materialise.
What if you take away the slingshot?
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 05/01/2026
» The latest ceasefire in the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is welcome news and hopefully signals an end to the displacement of thousands and tragic loss of life on both sides. The release of 18 Cambodian prisoners is an indication that the parties are delving more deeply into the process to resolve the conflict.
Driving them away
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/01/2026
» Re: "Airport tax to rise 53% for international flights", (BP, Dec 4).
Navigating the new realities of global travel
Oped, Anna Kofoed, Published on 12/12/2025
» In our increasingly turbulent world, travelling for many no longer unfolds as a straightforward endeavour.
Artists resist repression in Thailand, US
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 08/12/2025
» In late August, two seemingly unrelated events occurred in Thailand and the US. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) altered a major exhibit it had recently opened and, a few weeks later, the comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily taken off the air by the ABC television network. These events are linked as forms of artistic repression and perhaps more concerning, as examples of the growing use of intermediary censorship by authoritarian regimes.
How China won innovation in lieu of freedom
Oped, Jennifer Lind, Published on 28/11/2025
» A decade ago, China's government unveiled Made in China 2025 -- a bold vision for transforming the country from the world's assembly line into a global innovation leader. The plan was met with considerable scepticism, particularly in the West, where a robust scholarly consensus held that authoritarianism was fundamentally incompatible with innovation. China was light-years behind the global frontier. Barring drastic political change, many observers concluded, China would remain a "copycat nation".
Cheers for the absurd rules
Oped, Editorial, Published on 12/11/2025
» The amended alcohol control legislation that imposes fines on individuals who continue drinking alcoholic beverages during restricted hours -- particularly between 2pm and 5pm -- has left the government in hot water.
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.