International Selection

Before 1914, the financial arms race, instead of being an alternative to war, made war more likely – as it may well be doing with Russia today. A column by Harold James.

Large sustained external imbalances are something that global policymakers do need to monitor closely, because they can be an indicator of problems that need to be investigated more deeply. A column by Kenneth Rogoff.

A few things need to happen soon if Europe is to minimize the risk of slipping into another prolonged period of under-performance and additional asymmetrical downside financial risk. A column by Mohamed A. El-Erian.

William R. White, the former chief economist of the Bank for International Settlements, warns of grave adverse effects of the ultra loose monetary policy.

Favorable tax treatment of the purchase of insurance for major medical costs would reduce the national saving rate and increase consumer spending. A column by Martin Feldstein.

Gavin Patterson, CEO of BT Group, explains what the telecom operator wants to achieve with its TV platform and what the growth strategy means for investors.

The price of gas must be increased substantially, subsidies for domestic coal production must be stopped, and governance of the country’s pipelines must be overhauled. A column by Daniel Gros.

Michael Pettis, finance professor at University Beijing, explains why President Xi has to consolidate power quickly and why there will be no financial crisis.

The government now stresses three macroeconomic goals – job creation, price stability, and GDP growth. The current emphasis is in that order, with GDP growth at the bottom of the list. A column by Stephen S. Roach

The IMF has the great advantage of being perceived as boring. Unfortunately, it now needs a slightly higher public profile to convince the US Congress to agree to some important reforms. A column by Simon Johnson.

Successful political systems create an alternative «invisible hand» – a decentralized system to gather information. Lacking such structures, poverty is bound to rise. A column by Ricardo Hausmann.

If advanced economies are to prosper, it is necessary (though not sufficient) that the corporate sector’s willingness to invest match its considerable wallet. A column by Mohamed A. El-Erian.