Cultural Stereotypes of Multinational Banks
Financial markets, even more than other markets, run on trust. This column uses hand-collected data on banks’ investments in European sovereign debt...
Opinion Pieces
The economic toll of attacks on Ukraine’s power grid
Electricity blackouts caused by Russian rocket attacks on the power grid have become a daily occurrence in Ukraine. This column estimates the economic...
Flat tax reform in Ukraine: Lessons from Bulgaria
Developing a tax system which limits tax evasion is a key challenge for many emerging markets. This column argues that introducing a flat tax as a...
The beginning of the end for cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies have enjoyed a remarkable run from obscurity to a trillion dollar valuation in just over a decade. This column argues, however, that...
Ukraine’s wages and job loss trends during the war
Many statistical reports in Ukraine have been suspended since the start of Russia’s invasion, including on labour markets. This column uses wage...
The illusion of control
Global macroprudential and microprudential regulatory changes since 2008 have been designed to make a repeat of a systemic crisis much less likely...
Giant funds and market mispricing
The short-termism of corporate managers has been a recurring concern of policymakers for decades due to the close tie with mispricing in capital...
Assessment of damages to Ukraine’s productive capacity
The ongoing war in Ukraine has resulted in large damages to both public infrastructure and private corporate assets. The extent of these damages will...
Liz Truss has an opportunity to fix a critical financial regulation flaw
Effective financial markets provide the foundation for a highly productive and stable economy, but no UK regulator is responsible for the overall...
Choosing a numerical programming language for economic research: Julia, MATLAB, Python or R
Economic researchers can choose between four general purpose programming languages – Julia, MATLAB, Python, and R. This column evaluates the four...
Total factor productivity growth: we need a new drug
Creating the innovations that drive total factor productivity (TFP) growth takes both ideas and firms that process those ideas into new products or...
Measuring Ukraine’s private consumption during the war
As Russia’s invasion continues to ravage many parts of Ukraine, the flow of official statistical data has been erratic. This column outlines an...
Bitcoin isn’t much of a macro hedge
Bitcoin is often sold as protection against adverse macroeconomic outcomes. This column argues that this depiction as a macro hedge does not stand up...
Restarting Ukraine’s agricultural exports
Russia has imposed a naval blockade on Ukraine, suffocating the country’s agricultural exports. The last time that Ukraine experienced an export...
Covid-19 and trust among the young
Mishandled public health and other disasters erode young people’s trust in politicians for years
Ukraine’s recovery challenge
The economic damage in Ukraine in the wake of Russia’s invasion is on a scale not seen in Europe since WWII. This column compares Ukraine’s economic...
