Warnings From Weimar
Why bargaining with authoritarians fails. Read More Here
Category: Society
The Economics Of Social Unrest
The past decade was marked by a series of high-profile social protests—the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, the Gilets Jaunes, and Occupy Wall Street, to name just a few. Yet while there has been a lot of soul-searching about their causes and consequences, and even though many commentators have pointed their fingers at economic forces, […]
The Threat Reflex
A country that closely observes and upholds social norms can be considered to be “tight.” People in those societies don’t tolerate deviance and generally follow the rules. “Loose” countries celebrate individual creativity and freedom. Read More Here
Religion In India: Tolerance And Segregation
Indians’ concept of religious tolerance does not necessarily involve the mixing of religious communities. While people in some countries may aspire to create a “melting pot” of different religious identities, many Indians seem to prefer a country more like a patchwork fabric, with clear lines between groups. Read More Here
When Astrologers Rule
There is no science for making decisions when facing uncertainty. “Incalculable risks” are just that—incalculable. The best way to manage uncertainty is to rely on information drawn from a variety of independently financed and conducted experiments, rather than relying on a single, seemingly legitimate answer—whether from the stars or from data points. But politicians too often want […]
We Are About To Find Out How Robust Civilisation Is
There are no good outcomes from here. Many people will die prematurely. Many will lose their jobs. Many businesses will go under. Many people will suffer bereavement, loneliness and despair, even if they dodge the virus. The only question is how many in each case. We are about to find out how robust civilisation is. […]
How Corruption Shapes The World
No reliable data exist to measure how widespread corruption is, which prevents systematic action against bad actors, including major corporations that routinely pay bribes in exchange for contracts, concessions, and other favorable treatment. Given the urgency of the problem, it is notable that governments, universities, and think tanks have not dedicated more resources to doing […]
Riot Acts
History shows that tumult is a companion to democracy and when ordinary politics fails, the people must take to the streets. Read Here – Aeon Also Read: Are Riots Good For Democracy
The World The Economist Made
Warnings of a crisis of liberalism have become commonplace, as it is assailed by an illiberal right on the one side and a socialist left on the other. The situation is plain, and it is at least partially self-inflicted. Liberalism has missed opportunity after opportunity. It is not merely the tepid response to the financial crisis. […]
The Jokes Always Saved Us: Humour In The Time Of Stalin
Stalinism. The word conjures dozens of associations, and ‘funny’ isn’t usually one of them. The ‘S-word’ is now synonymous with brutal and all-encompassing state control that left no room for laughter or any form of dissent. And yet, countless diaries, memoirs and even the state’s own archives reveal that people continued to crack jokes about […]
looking beyond borders 