Showing 1 - 10 of 73
Our tariff-era dollar, your problem
Oped, Qiyuan Xu, Published on 04/02/2026
» In 2025, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of major currencies, fell by roughly 9.4%. Over the same period, the United States' average effective tariff rate rose by around 14.4 percentage points, from 2.4% to 16.8%, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Taken together, these shifts imply that, in the import trade domain, the US experienced an effective exchange-rate depreciation of around 24%.
Building capacity where it counts
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato & Rainer Kattel, Published on 06/10/2025
» After years of underinvestment, governments around the world are struggling to keep pace with growing demands. The consequences are now widely evident, as underfunded and unprepared public agencies falter whenever crises strike. The problem is not "slimming" government down, but rather rendering it more capable, strategic, outcome-oriented and a good partner in solving the greatest problems of our time: providing adequate housing for all, strengthening climate resilience and ensuring that technology makes all our lives better, not just a few "bros" richer.
Authoritarians' brave new cities
Oped, Robert Muggah & Carlo Ratti, Published on 23/09/2025
» Few policy ideas are as radical -- or as misleadingly packaged -- as "freedom cities". Championed by Silicon Valley's techno-libertarian elite and recently embraced by right-wing politicians like Donald Trump, the idea is to create digitally powered, master-planned enclaves of deregulated innovation.
Breaking barriers for Thai innovations
Oped, Saowaruj Rattanakhamfu and Pichakorn Khowasinth, Published on 27/08/2025
» Thailand is abundant with talent in medical technology. Why aren't our homegrown innovations reaching patients? The answer is simple: a broken system.
Demographic time bomb threatens Chinese society
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 22/08/2025
» News stories about China nowadays largely focus on geopolitical developments, particularly the Sino-American rivalry. But China's 1.4 billion people, while aware of these issues, are more preoccupied with a problem that hits much closer to home: their shrinking families.
Fatbergs ahead
Oped, Postbag, Published on 25/06/2025
» Re: "BMA's sewer war begins", (Editorial, June 25).
Flips and threats
Oped, Postbag, Published on 10/06/2025
» Re: "Angry Trump warns Musk not to back Democrats", (World, June 9).
Trump's tariffs are not simply about dolls
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 20/05/2025
» In a famous scene from the hit American television series Succession, the savvy patriarch of a family-owned media empire is infuriated to learn that none of his children knows the price of a gallon of milk. He understands that such a disconnect between decision-makers and ordinary people is a recipe for failed leadership. Now, the same tension is playing out not on our screens, but in the White House.
Unite to solve neglected diseases
Oped, Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, Published on 29/04/2025
» The successful collaboration between the health ministries of Malaysia and Thailand, industry partners in Egypt and Malaysia, and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) to bring a new hepatitis C antiviral drug -- ravidasvir -- to market in 2022 was an important milestone. For years, a 12-week course of treatment using sofosbuvir cost between $70,000 (2.34 million baht) and $80,000, putting it out of reach for many in the Global South. But ravidasvir -- a safe and effective alternative when combined with sofosbuvir -- costs far less, averaging less than $500 per course.
Americans can't win from trade war by Trump
Oped, Nancy Qian, Published on 12/04/2025
» The world is reeling from US President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day", when he announced the highest US tariffs in more than a century.