International Selection

Boston and San Francisco might serve as role models for the Swiss banking sector: They are an operating base for many extremely specialized financial institutions. A column by Guy Spier.

The EU may be unable to return Crimea to Ukraine, but its legal actions should put Putin on notice that his strong-arm tactics will not work for much longer. A column by Nina Khrushcheva.

The Greek government wants to create the necessary preconditions to restore investment and credit to levels consistent with economic escape velocity. A comment by Yanis Varoufakis.

The main financial risk facing the US looks similar to what caused so much trouble in 2007-2008: big banks with too much debt and too little equity capital on their balance sheets. A column by Simon Johnson.

Whichever policies – macro or micro – turn out to work best for addressing today’s economic problems, one thing has become abundantly clear: optimism is out of fashion. A column by J. Bradford DeLong.

For independence to be politically acceptable, the central bank’s objectives must be well defined. The more numerous those objectives, the better central bankers must explain them. A column Barry Eichengreen

Policies must fit within the prevailing narrative framework, while the great task of politics is to shape the narrative of tomorrow. A column by Ricardo Hausmann.

The upcoming election will therefore mark the beginning, not the end, of a period of uncertainty for British politics, economics, and finance. A column by Anatole Kaletsky.

Allowing pension funds to provide the European economy with capital has a promising potential. But that will not be possible unless, and until, the right regulatory environment is created. A column by Angelien Kemna.

People expect cheaper, smarter, safer, and more efficient tools to live a more self-directed life. Companies that fail to deliver will find that their days are numbered. A column by Mohamed A. El-Erian.

Most important, despite the challenges it faces, the Chinese economy’s singular importance is now widely recognized. A column by Jim O’Neill.

Countries’ debts undoubtedly play a vital role in the global financial system. But, in a zero interest-rate environment, that role must be reevaluated. A column by Daniel Gros.