Latest blog posts

  • Bagehot's notebook

    The British monarchy

    Interviewing Andrew Marr about the Queen

    Feb 7th 2012, 23:11 by Bagehot

    A QUICK link to an interview I recorded with Andrew Marr of the BBC for The Economist late last week, about his new biography of Queen Elizabeth II. A one-time republican, Mr Marr is an admirer of her 60 years on the throne, and in interesting ways.

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  • Democracy in America

    Planned Parenthood v Komen

    The political valence of controversy

    Feb 7th 2012, 21:30 by M.S.

    I SEE that Karen Handel, the pro-life vice-president of the Susan G. Komen Foundation widely believed to have played a leading role in its short-lived decision to cut off grants to Planned Parenthood, has resigned. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jim Galloway reprints her letter of resignation. Here's an excerpt I found worthy of note.

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  • Graphic detail

    Focus

    Executive pay and performance

    Feb 7th 2012, 20:59 by The Economist online

    HOW and to what extent pay packages should be structured is a touchy subject. Obermatt, a financial-research company, argues that remuneration should be based on company performance. Its boss, Hermann Stern, says the current system is flawed; he believes earnings growth and shareholder return should determine how much a CEO should be paid. Currently, of the largest companies in America (those in the S&P 100), CEO pay has no correlation with either performance or market capitalisation.

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  • Free exchange

    Monetary policy

    Sympathy for Ben Bernanke

    Feb 7th 2012, 20:32 by R.A. | WASHINGTON

    BINYAMIN APPELBAUM reports today from a meeting of the Senate Budget Committee, which played host to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke:

    “It seems to me that you care more about unemployment than about inflation,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa.

    “I want to disabuse any notion that there is a priority for maximum employment,“ Mr. Bernanke responded.

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  • Democracy in America

    Mormonism

    Mitt's prerogative

    Feb 7th 2012, 20:23 by E.G. | AUSTIN

    THE past few days have brought some new calls for Mitt Romney to directly address the fact that he is a Mormon, notably from Frank Bruni in the New York Times and Randall Balmer at the New Republic.

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  • Eastern approaches

    Romanian politics

    Free falling

    Feb 7th 2012, 19:45 by V.P. | BUCHAREST

    THE year started badly for Emil Boc, the now-former prime minister of Romania. A public row between Traian Basescu, the president, and Raed Arafat, a popular health-care official, over a proposed health reform sparked violent protests in January that eventually led to a government retreat on the new plans and a series of resignations. That was followed by his party's loss of the Senate last week, when two lawmakers deserted to the opposition.

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  • Free exchange

    Labour markets

    Make labour more expensive?

    Feb 7th 2012, 18:45 by R.A. | WASHINGTON

    JARED BERNSTEIN has a post up today entitled, "The minimum wage: time to start working on the next increase". In it, he argues that, you know, it's time to start working on obtaining another increase in America's national minimum wage. In support of his point, he produces this chart:

    That last, substantial rise in the minimum wage looks strangely familiar. In fact, it mirrors quite closely the sharp rise in unemployment that occurred over a similar time frame.

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  • Babbage

    Wael Ghonim on Egypt's uprising

    Revolution 2.0

    Feb 7th 2012, 18:07 by The Economist online

    WAEL GHONIM, a Google marketing executive, was imprisoned after helping co-ordinate the initial stages of the uprising in Egypt. We caught up with him in London to discuss the power of the internet and the progress made since Hosni Mubarak's fall

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  • Democracy in America

    Birtherism 2012

    To the nation born

    Feb 7th 2012, 17:42 by J.F. | ATLANTA

    THE process to determine the Republican candidate for president in the general election is playing out now; the process to determine the Democratic nominee was supposed to have ended four years ago. Alas, it has not. Residents of at least six states have challenged Barack Obama's eligibility to appear on their states' ballots, because they claim he is not "a natural-born citizen", which article II of the constitution requires candidates for president to be.

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  • Prospero

    Andrew Marr on Queen Elizabeth II

    Our most famous enigma

    Feb 7th 2012, 17:36 by The Economist online

    THE author of a new biography of the queen considers the paradox of a deeply private public figure

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  • Prospero
    Books, arts and culture

    Named after the hero of Shakespeare's "The Tempest", an expert on the power of books and the arts, this blog features literary insight and cultural commentary from our correspondents, and includes our coverage of the art market.

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  • Banyan
    Asia

    In this blog, our Asia correspondents and our Banyan columnist provide comment and analysis on Asia's political and cultural landscape. The blog takes its name from the Banyan tree, under which Buddha attained enlightenment and Gujarati merchants used to conduct business

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  • Multimedia
    Audio, video and videographics

    This blog provides an archive of The Economist's audio podcasts, video stories, slideshows and videographics up to June 2011. Multimedia items produced after that date can be found on the relevant subject-area blog.

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  • Charlemagne's notebook
    European politics

    In this blog, our Charlemagne columnist considers the ideas and events that shape Europe, while dealing with the quirks of life in the Euro-bubble. An archive of print columns can be found here. Follow Charlemagne on Twitter »

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  • Game theory
    Sports

    On this blog, our correspondents analyse and report on sports minor and major, addressing the politics, economics, science and statistics of the games we play and watch.

    Follow us on Twitter @EconSports

    Send story ideas to gametheory@economist.com

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  • Buttonwood's notebook
    Financial markets

    In this blog, our Buttonwood columnist grapples with the ever-changing financial markets and the motley crew who earn their living by attempting to master them. The blog is named after the 1792 agreement that regulated the informal brokerage conducted under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street.

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  • Babbage
    Science and technology

    In this blog, our correspondents report on the intersections between science, technology, culture and policy. The blog takes its name from Charles Babbage, a Victorian mathematician and engineer who designed a mechanical computer. Follow Babbage on Twitter »

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  • Johnson
    Language

    In this blog, named after the dictionary-maker Samuel Johnson, our correspondents write about the effects that the use (and sometimes abuse) of language have on politics, society and culture around the world

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  • Free exchange
    Economics

    In this blog, our correspondents consider the fluctuations in the world economy and the policies intended to produce more booms than busts. Adam Smith argued that in a free exchange both parties benefit, and this blog's aim is to encourage a free exchange of views on economic matters.

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  • Lexington's notebook
    American politics

    In this blog, our Lexington columnist enters America’s political fray and shares the many opinions that don't make it into his column each week. The column and blog are named after Lexington, Massachusetts, where the first shots were fired in the American war of independence.

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  • Blighty
    Britain

    On this blog, our correspondents ponder political, cultural, business and scientific developments in Britain, the spiritual and geographical home of The Economist. It takes its name from a fond but faintly derogatory name for the mother country often used among British expats.

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  • Democracy in America
    American politics

    In this blog, our correspondents share their thoughts and opinions on America's kinetic brand of politics and the policy it produces. The blog is named after the study of American politics and society written by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political scientist, in the 1830s

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  • Cassandra
    The World in 2012

    This blog accompanies The World in 2012, our almanac of predictions for the year ahead. The blog is named after the mythological Cassandra, who was cursed by Apollo to make prophecies that were accurate, but disbelieved

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  • Americas view
    The Americas

    In this blog, our correspondents provide reporting, analysis and opinion on politics, economics, society and culture in Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.

    Follow us on Twitter @EconAmericas

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  • Leviathan
    Public policy

    In this blog, our public policy editor reports on how governments in Britain and beyond are rethinking and reforming the state's role in public services, the arts and life in general. The blog takes its name from Thomas Hobbes's book of 1651, which remains one of the most influential examinations of the relationship between government and society.

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  • Clausewitz
    Defence, security and diplomacy

    In this blog, our correspondents provide reporting and analysis on the subjects of defence, security and diplomacy, covering weapons and warfare, spooks and cyber-attacks, diplomats and dead-drops. The blog is named after Carl von Clausewitz, the Prussian soldier and military theorist whose classic work, "On War", is still widely studied today.

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  • Bagehot's notebook
    British politics

    In this blog, our Bagehot columnist surveys the politics of Britain, British life and Britain's place in the world. The column and blog are named after Walter Bagehot, an English journalist who was the editor of The Economist from 1861 to 1877

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  • Newsbook
    News analysis

    In this blog, our correspondents respond to breaking news stories and provide comment and analysis. The blog takes its name from newsbooks, the 16th-century precursors to newspapers, which covered a single big story, such as a battle, a disaster or a sensational trial

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  • Eastern approaches
    Ex-communist Europe

    Eastern approaches deals with the economic, political, security and cultural aspects of the eastern half of the European continent. It incorporates the long-running "Europe.view" weekly column. The blog is named after the wartime memoirs of the British soldier Sir Fitzroy Maclean.

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  • Baobab
    Africa

    On this blog our correspondents delve into the politics, economics and culture of the continent of Africa, from Cairo to the Cape. The blog takes its name from the baobab, a massive tree that grows throughout much of Africa. It stores water, provides food and is often called the tree of life.

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  • Gulliver
    Business travel

    In this blog, our correspondents inform and entertain business travellers with news, views and reviews that help them make the most of life on the road. Sign up for our weekly "Gulliver's best" newsletter to have the blog's highlights delivered to your inbox »

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  • Graphic detail
    Charts, maps and infographics

    On this blog we publish a new chart or map every working day, highlight our interactive-data features and provide links to interesting sources of data around the web. The Big Mac index, house-price index and other regular features can be found on our Markets & data page

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  • Schumpeter
    Business and management

    In this blog, our Schumpeter columnist and his colleagues provide commentary and analysis on the topics of business, finance and management. The blog takes its name from Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian-American economist who likened capitalism to a "perennial gale of creative destruction"

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