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The origins of selflessness Fair play (18 March 08:48) |
| It is not so much that cheats don’t prosper, but that prosperity does not cheatFOR the evolutionarily minded, the existence of fairness is a puzzle. What biological advantage accrues t... |
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Economics focus It wasnt us (18 March 06:39) |
| Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke still do not believe monetary policy bears any blame for the crisisTHE desire to rescue a damaged reputation is a powerful motivator. That is one conclusion t... |
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Colombias congressional election All uribistas now (18 March 05:12) |
| But which one will succeed the president?ALTHOUGH he is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term in the presidential election in May, Alvaro Uribe’s influence over Colombia... |
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The Lehman report Beancounters in a bind (18 March 05:12) |
| Banks’ professional advisers come under scrutinyIF SUNSHINE really is the best disinfectant, the 2,200-page report into Lehman Brothers’ downfall by its court-appointed bankruptc... |
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Private equity in Japan The waiting game (18 March 05:12) |
| There are lots of private-equity funds in Japan, but very few deals“PRIVATE equity is the garbage can of corporate Japan,” laments the boss of one fund with more than $1 billion ... |
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Share buy-backs are back Because theyre worth it (18 March 05:12) |
| Companies are buying lots of their own shares againFEW expenditures are more discretionary for a firm than buying its own shares. Although companies collectively were the biggest net buyers ... |
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Cross-shareholdings in Italy Ties that bind (18 March 05:12) |
| Mediobanca’s grip on Generali shows the effects of cross-shareholdingsTHE power of Italy’s salotto buono—meaning the “fine drawing room” of top industrialists a... |
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Canadian cities The charms of Calgary (18 March 05:12) |
| And the gloom in TorontoTIME was when the decision over where to put a new Canadian capital-markets regulator would have been automatic. Toronto, Canada’s most populous city and the ca... |
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Productivity growth Slash and earn (18 March 05:12) |
| Productivity has surged in America and slumped in Europe. Neither trend can lastLIKE physical fitness or a healthy diet, productivity is a worthy goal that can require an unappetising change... |
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American-Israeli relations Where did all the love go (18 March 05:12) |
| No crisis, says the White House, but American patience with Israel has run outIT HAS been like a lovers’ tiff without the love—quickly tamped down but with none of the kissing an... |
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Climate-change politics Cap-and-trades last hurrah (18 March 05:12) |
| The decline of a once wildly popular ideaIN THE 1990s cap-and-trade—the idea of reducing carbon-dioxide emissions by auctioning off a set number of pollution permits, which could then ... |
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Harrisburg in crisis A burning issue (18 March 05:12) |
| Pennsylvania’s state capital is on the brink of bankruptcy“IT’S a long way to Heaven. It’s closer to Harrisburg,” sings Josh Ritter, a contemporary singer-songw... |
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Schools reform The next test (18 March 05:12) |
| Barack Obama’s plan to overhaul No Child Left BehindHEALTH reform was supposed to be the crowning achievement of Barack Obama’s first year as president. Instead it has riled Repu... |
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South Africa A chastened president fights back (18 March 05:12) |
| Jacob Zuma is facing a barrage of criticism. But he won’t give up without a battleIN HIS new year’s address to the nation, President Jacob Zuma hailed 2010 as “the most imp... |
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Producer prices (18 March 05:12) |
| The annual rate of producer-price inflation in America slowed to 4.4% in February from 4.6% in January. Wholesale prices fell by 0.6% during the month of February, their biggest monthly fall... |
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The president and trade Go sell (11 March 04:53) |
| As Barack Obama embraces exports, trade friction loomsA GLOOMY office park in suburban Chicago is the home of NewMedical Technology. At the moment the young company has only one main product... |
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Labour markets Distemper (11 March 04:13) |
| Temporary work may dim future employment prospectsIS ANY job better than no job? Some research has suggested that unemployed workers should take up any job they can get, including temporary ... |
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Economics focus The inflation solution (11 March 04:13) |
| The merits of inflation as a solution to the rich world’s problems are easily overstatedIT HAS long been considered a scourge, an obstacle to investment and a tax on the thrifty. It se... |
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Schumpeter Skirting the issue (11 March 04:13) |
| Imposing quotas for women in boardrooms tackles a symptom of discrimination, not the causeIF YOU are a youngish man who sits on a European corporate board, you should worry: the chances are ... |
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Failing schools For whom the bell tolls (11 March 04:13) |
| Giving parents a real choiceBRENTWOOD in Essex is an unremarkable town, once derided as the most boring in Britain. It is home not only to Brentwood School, a moderately well-known independe... |
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Independents for Parliament Out with the old (11 March 04:13) |
| Why independent candidates may yet break the political mouldESTHER RANTZEN gestures at the gaslit machines in Wright’s hat factory in Luton. The iron machines are more than 100 years o... |
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Taxing companies Choose your weapons (11 March 04:13) |
| In the corporate-tax armoury the next government must pick carefullyWHAT do Shore Capital, a boutique financial firm, and Ineos, the remnant of various giant chemical companies, have in comm... |
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Bagehot No escape (11 March 04:13) |
| An infamous murder returns to the national consciousness, with worrying implicationsMOST eras have their symbolic murders: crimes that are not only terrible but seem also to reflect the nati... |
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Slovakias disturbing patriotism Culture creep (11 March 04:13) |
| The Slovak leader deploys national culture as a political weaponIN THE run-up to Slovakia’s parliamentary election in June, Robert Fico, prime minister and leader of the centre-left Sm... |
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Home births in Hungary Difficult delivery (11 March 04:13) |
| The pioneer of home births in Hungary faces jailIF HISTORY were a guide, obstetrics in Hungary should be wonderful. In 1847 Ignac Semmelweis pioneered mother-friendly childbirth, insisting t... |
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Charlemagne Juggling Europes stars (11 March 04:13) |
| The new president of the European Council will be worth watchingTO ENGLISH ears, the word “compromise” often has a shabby ring. When safety or quality are compromised, people get... |
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People and history Burying myths uncovering truth (11 March 04:13) |
| In the aftermath of fighting or repression, people are often told to forget things. But in free societies, selective memory cannot be imposed for ever THE 15 boxes of bones were wrapped in t... |
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Turks and Armenians The cost of reconstruction (11 March 04:13) |
| It takes many hands to reconcile two peoples so divided by historyFOR centuries, a stone bridge spanning the emerald green waters of the Akhurian River connected the southern Caucasus to th... |
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Rigging Myanmars election Belt braces and army boots (11 March 04:13) |
| The generals leave nothing to chanceTHE junta ruling Myanmar has had 20 years to digest the lessons from the country’s most recent election. It was trounced by the National League for ... |
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Elections in the Philippines Vote before the system crashes (11 March 04:13) |
| Technology complicates life for vote-riggers and counters alikeRIGGED elections and the instability they create have been the bane of the Philippines for much of its democratic history. Fili... |
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China mulls a property tax An odd sort of tax (11 March 04:13) |
| That some liberals want and local governments fear A GRANDMOTHER killed trying to stop developers flattening her home; university graduates forced to live in crowded slums: China’s ebu... |
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Banyan Not whaling but drowning (11 March 04:13) |
| In a sea of international opprobrium. But a compromise may be at handIF YOU’RE tempted by a slab of meat gristle which surrenders little but an ooze of grease when chewed, then youR... |
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Guatemala and organised crime Reaching the untouchables (11 March 04:13) |
| Attempts to stop drugs money corrupting public life in Guatemala are making some progress. In Jamaica (see article) the worries are growingFOR the second time in less than a year, Guatemala&... |
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Lexington Barack Obamas abortion drama (11 March 04:13) |
| Religion is causing the president headachesIT COULD all come down to abortion. Health-care reform hangs in the balance. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, is desperat... |
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Foreign policy Containing Iran (11 March 04:13) |
| The president is trapped between an angry Congress and a stubborn ChinaHE HAS missed his own deadlines, he may not have enough votes and even if the measure passes it is likely to be a water... |
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Bagehot No escape (11 March 04:13) |
| An infamous murder returns to the national consciousness, with worrying implicationsMOST eras have their symbolic murders: crimes that are not only terrible but seem also to reflect the nati... |
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White House tensions Ballet Rahmbert (11 March 02:35) |
| The gossip surrounding the president’s chief of staff is getting out of hand“LET me tell you a story about Rahm Emanuel. I was a congressman in my first eight weeks, and I was in... |
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Interview with Nick Clegg Kingmaker in waiting (11 March 02:09) |
| The Liberal Democrats prepare for battle—in their own wayNICK CLEGG doesn’t do “What if?” politics, he says. The leader of the Liberal Democrats is politely Delphic i... |
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Monitoring greenhouse gases Highs and lows (04 March 07:39) |
| You might think that measuring the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere would be a priority. If you did think that, though, you would be wrongIN NEGOTIATIONS on nuclear weapons the p... |
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Thaksin Shinawatra Divided loyalties (04 March 04:47) |
| Some scent compromise; more fear a looming showdownIN THAILAND politics has long been about compromise rather than conviction. Political parties run on expediency, not ideology, which makes ... |
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Telecom Italia Call waiting (04 March 04:47) |
| Italy’s biggest telecoms firm faces an uncertain futureTHERE could not be a better warning of the risks of getting involved with Italy’s national phone company: in late February ... |
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GM offers to invest more in Opel Paying up (04 March 04:47) |
| Under pressure, GM is now putting up half the money needed to rescue OpelTHE mood at this week’s Geneva motor show, if not exactly upbeat, was in contrast to the fear that gripped the ... |
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Cutting the BBC No surrender (04 March 04:47) |
| The corporation will become smaller, but no less potentON MARCH 2nd the BBC did something unprecedented: it volunteered to cut itself down to size. The broadcaster wants to abolish two digit... |
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Silvio Berlusconi and the courts Impunity time (04 March 04:47) |
| Italy’s prime minister becomes an unlikely crusader against corruptionLAUGH or cry? On March 1st Silvio Berlusconi’s cabinet approved an anti-corruption bill just two days after ... |
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Location-based services on mobile phones Follow me (04 March 04:47) |
| Adverts that know where you are could be lucrative—not to mention controversialTHE initiative was designed to draw attention to a serious issue and it achieved its goal. Pleaserobme.co... |
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Vietnams economy The Tet effect (04 March 04:47) |
| Worries about renewed overheatingDURING Tet, the lunar new year holiday, money is everywhere in Vietnam. It is dished out to children, gambled in roadside card-games, and splurged on gifts, ... |
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Indias Muslims and job quotas The call to poll (04 March 04:47) |
| Politicians vie for poor-Muslim votesFIFTEEN years after he migrated with his family to the bright lights of Delhi, Muhammad Naushad has little to show for it. An illiterate 20-year-old weav... |
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The feud in South Koreas ruling party Feud for thought (04 March 04:47) |
| The defining battle of Lee Myung-bak’s presidency nears its climaxODDLY for a politician, South Korea’s president, Lee Myung-bak, has never hidden his loathing of politics. Durin... |
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The Texas governors race Romping home (04 March 04:47) |
| Rick Perry and Bill White move from the primary to the real electionTHERE’S no sense changing horses in midstream. On March 2nd Texan voters decided that Rick Perry, already in his ten... |
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Almond pollination in California Vitamin Bee (04 March 04:47) |
| A new attempt to save the most vital workers in the orchardsAT THIS time of year Gordon Wardell loves to stand amid the almond blossoms in California’s San Joaquin valley, listening to... |
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