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Central bank building with gate

Econographics

May 2, 2024

Understanding the plan to create a $50 billion Ukraine bond from Russia’s blocked assets

By Charles Lichfield, Mrugank Bhusari

The United States is pushing the G7 to consider a sovereign loan of $50 billion to Ukraine which would be repaid using the interest income on blocked Russian assets. Where does this $50 billion figure come from?

Economic Sanctions Russia

Econographics

May 1, 2024

How to improve the technical skill of the US national security workforce

By Lesley Chavkin, Eitan Danon, and Sigal Mandelker

We cannot expect to compete on the world stage without equipping the US civil service with the skills and experience needed to understand and harness the technological trends that will define the future. But if we want our best and brightest—our most ambitious and innovative—women and men to pursue federal service, we have to do a better job of proactively making the case why.

Economy & Business Future of Work

Econographics

Apr 30, 2024

The yen’s travails in an era of geopolitical rivalry

By Hung Tran

In an era marked by geopolitical tensions, the yen’s depreciation underscores the broader economic fallout from a persistently strong dollar and rising US interest rates.

Economy & Business Indo-Pacific
Factory under construction

Econographics

Apr 29, 2024

The IMF warms to industrial policy—but with caveats

By Walter Frick

Industrial policy is making a comeback around the world. There’s no better sign of this than the new attention paid to subsidies by bastions of the Washington consensus like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has historically been very skeptical of them.

Fiscal and Structural Reform International Financial Institutions

Econographics

Apr 25, 2024

The basics of CBDC

By Alisha Chhangani and Leila Hamilton

The race for the future of money is on, so here are the key items to catch you up on what a central bank digital currency is—and what it isn’t.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business
Brazil G20 bilboard

Econographics

Apr 12, 2024

Brazil’s approach to the G20: Leading by example

By Hung Tran

Brazil’s non-aligned, cooperative, and practical approach holds out the promise of a constructive outcome for this year’s G20 meetings—especially if progress is measured by concrete global initiatives.

Brazil G20

Sinographs

Apr 9, 2024

Breaking down Janet Yellen’s comments on Chinese overcapacity

By Hung Tran

It is reasonable to criticize and complain to China, but policymakers should remember that an end to overcapacity would mean a major shift in China’s economic model—which is exceedingly unlikely.

China Economy & Business
Bulk carrier ship in river port. Dry cargo grain elevator trade. Agrarian maritime facility. Cargo ship in the sea. Sunset view. factory on the water.

Econographics

Apr 5, 2024

Ukraine’s grain exports are crucial to Africa’s food security

By Yulia Bychkovska

Moscow is trying to increase Africa’s dependence on its imports by blocking the exports of Ukrainian grain. By helping Ukraine sell its grain, the West can offer the African continent an alternative to Russia’s grain and decrease Russia’s profits.

Africa Economic Sanctions

Econographics

Mar 28, 2024

Understanding the debate over IMF quota reform

By Hung Tran

The politics and mathematics of reform are tougher than they appear. A simple reform matching quotas to global economic weight will not be welcomed by many countries.

Africa China

Econographics

Mar 26, 2024

Housing costs are slowing down the US climate transition

By Joseph Webster

The US housing shortage has profound economic consequences. Less discussed is the fact that it is slowing down the US climate transition.

Energy Transitions Financial Regulation

Content

Econographics

Feb 11, 2025

Securing energy independence: The US path to resilient enriched uranium supply chain

By Mikael Pir-Budagyan

One critical challenge for the United States in the energy security space is the sourcing of enriched uranium that fuels nuclear reactors across the country, vital for the energy transition away from fossil fuels.

Americas Economic Sanctions

Econographics

Jan 31, 2025

Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations: Impact on US businesses

By Samantha Sultoon

Should the Trump administration choose to use the FTO designation on major Mexican cartels, it may have impacts that have not been fully evaluated.

Americas Economic Sanctions

Econographics

Jan 30, 2025

US economic outlook 2025: It’s the productivity, stupid!

By Hung Tran

The range of forecasts for US economic growth in 2025 is unusually wide. Productivity is going to be a major reason for slow or strong growth prospects.

Economy & Business Macroeconomics

Sinographs

Jan 29, 2025

Is DeepSeek a proof of concept?

By Jessie Yin

Understanding how Deepseek emerged from China’s innovation landscape can better equip the US to confront China’s ambitions for global technology leadership.

Artificial Intelligence China

Econographics

Jan 28, 2025

The 2025 crypto policy landscape: Looming EU and US divergences?

By Hung Tran, Barbara C. Matthews

High level regulatory and policy alignment is possible. Divergences, heated rhetoric, and drama are inevitable.

Digital Currencies Economy & Business

Econographics

Jan 23, 2025

What is next for crypto regulation in the US?

By Ananya Kumar

What does success on the regulatory front actually look like? What does it mean for the rest of the world? We dive into the dozen bills under consideration in Congress and zoom in on the three big themes for crypto regulation in 2025.

Digital Currencies Digital Policy

Sinographs

Jan 16, 2025

China’s economic performance: New numbers, same overstatement

By Daniel H. Rosen and Jeremy Smith

Is China's economic slowdown more severe than reflected in official data? Here's a cheat sheet for looking at actual economic performance in 2024 and 2025.

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Dec 20, 2024

A policy blueprint for the Trump administration’s outbound investment screening regime

By Kit Conklin

As the Trump administration enters its second term, addressing economic and military threats posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will remain a cornerstone of its foreign policy and legislative agenda. One area primed for action is the expansion of outbound investment restrictions targeting companies and securities associated with the PRC’s military.

Americas China

New Atlanticist

Dec 16, 2024

Once again, China pushes for economic stimulus, hoping for a different result

By Jeremy Mark

Chinese leader Xi Jinping continues to adopt stimulus measures that fail to confront the country’s structural economic challenges.

China Economy & Business
G20 Summit in Rio

Econographics

Nov 27, 2024

Divided COP29 and G20 Summits: A taste of things to come

By Hung Tran

President-Elect Trump's "America First" approach is already raising concerns at the G20 and COP29.

Brazil Climate Change & Climate Action