Far-right politicians like Trump and Bolsonaro have exploited frustration-fanned anger, tribalism COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | Jair Bolsonaro, the president-elect of Brazil, is a far-right, gun-loving, media-baiting hyper-nationalist. The fact that he would be right at home among many of today’s global leaders – including the leaders of some of the …
Read More »COMMENT: Inequality in the 21st century
INEQUALITY: Unless it is confronted, social cohesion and democracy itself will come under growing threat COMMENT | Kaushik Basu | At the end of a low and dishonest year, reminiscent of the “low, dishonest decade” about which W.H. Auden wrote in his poem “September 1, 1939,” the world’s “clever hopes” are …
Read More »COMMENT: Evidence-based policy mistakes
It is important to recognise that data alone are not enough, common sense matters COMMENT | KAUSHIK BASU | After years of stressing the importance of evidence-based policymaking, economists have clearly had some influence on politicians. What economists now need to do is to impress upon those same politicians that citing …
Read More »Reason and the end of poverty
By Kaushik Basu Study shows the bulk of poverty eradication is driven by economies’ overall income growth The World Bank has set two new goals for itself: ending extreme and chronic poverty in the world by 2030, and promoting shared prosperity, defined in terms of progress of the poorest 40% …
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