2022-02-19-Economist Graphs
1. The world this week
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1.2
1.3
2. Leaders
2.1 Russia and Ukraine: Whether he invades Ukraine or backs down, Putin has harmed Russia
He will try to claim victory though
2.2 The chicken and the peg: Workers have the most to lose from a wage-price spiral
As prices rise, real wages are falling
2.3 No, Canada: Justin Trudeau’s crackdown on protests could make things worse
By seeking to curb free speech, he will aggravate Canada’s divisions
2.4 Factional dissipation: The Tories’ problems go deeper than just one man
Boris Johnson is a symptom of Conservative political malaise, not its cause
2.5 Drug manufacturing: To build a vaccine industry, Africa must embrace the private sector
Without a shift in focus, the continent risks always being at the back of the queue
3. Letters
3.1 On peer review, Myanmar, pay, DNA, the Acropolis, vellum, Ottawa: Letters to the editor
A selection of correspondence
4. Briefing
4.1 A grim blunder: Vladimir Putin’s willingness to threaten war damages Russia
The nature of his regime has now changed irreversibly
4.2 OSINT: A new era of transparent warfare beckons
Russia’s manoeuvres are a coming-out party for open-source intelligence
5. Europe
5.1 The Pécresse file: Meet Valérie Pécresse, the French centre-right hopeful
Her campaign is in trouble, but she fights on
5.2 Hungary for change: As Orban runs for re-election, Hungary’s opposition fears fraud
They have some reason to
5.3 Robert Habeck’s odyssey: Germany’s plans for wind power are dauntingly ambitious
And green-on-green arguments aren’t helping
5.4 Charlemagne: Europe is using newfound powers to bring Poland into line
Other troublesome members may be next
6. Britain
6.1 Old dudes: The Conservative Party has become factional and rebellious
That is degrading its capacity to govern
6.2 Nobody’s business: British privacy law now rivals libel law in gagging the press
The Supreme Court rules Bloomberg invaded a businessman’s privacy by reporting on a criminal inquiry
6.3 Not the only way: Essex is rebranding
A county with a reputation for brashness is trying to show off its posher side
6.4 Trans action: Activist doctors are urging GPs to prescribe cross-sex hormones
That will remove the final remnants of gatekeeping from gender medicine
6.5 Bagehot: The shrinkflation state
The British state will soon cost more, yet provide less
7. Middle East & Africa
7.1 Chasing the dragon: How Chinese firms have dominated African infrastructure
Western firms grumble more but compete less
7.2 Fabulous fruit: How the sugarloaf pineapple became the champagne of Benin
African countries cash in on the fashion for posh-place products
7.3 Mission incomplete: France withdraws its forces from Mali
But their fight against jihadists in the Sahel is not over
7.4 “RoboCop” hits a rough patch: A recession threatens Tunisia’s President Kais Saied
But the opposition is too divided to take advantage of it
8. United States
8.1 Between a rock and a hard place: The energy transition is sparking America’s next mining boom
Can critical minerals be secured without wrecking the environment and sacred tribal lands?
8.2 School-board politics: Once mundane, school-board meetings have become battlegrounds
A new front line in America’s culture wars
8.3 A recall election: A successful school-board recall punishes left-wing excess
It is a welcome victory for basic competence
8.4 Post offices: Long queues are the least of the US Postal Service’s problems
Will the post-office bill deliver reform?
8.5 Industrial policy: Midwestern states want to become “hard-tech” hubs
Putting their money where their machines are
8.6 Lexington: The fight for Catholic America
Pope Francis is starting to get a grip on the world’s fourth-biggest Catholic country
9. The Americas
9.1 No truck with Trudeau: Trudeau invokes emergency powers to shut down Canada’s protests
Will the populist protest outlast the pandemic?
9.2 Bello: Why allegations about his son could hurt Mexico’s president
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s son does not share his father’s distaste for luxury
10. Asia
10.1 Aid limits: A cash crunch is crippling Afghanistan
Humanitarian aid is no substitute for a functioning economy
10.2 Awamori? Go on then: Distillers in Okinawa are trying to reinvent the local firewater
Weaker drinks may make for stronger sales
10.3 A million ways to die in the east: India’s Omicron wave recedes, but not the risk of premature death
Indians die of preventable causes in alarming numbers
10.4 Cut-rate khanate: Turkmenistan’s despot finds a worthy successor: his son
A horse-obsessed personality cult becomes a dynasty
10.5 Banyan: Asia’s premier trade pact needs stronger foundations
CPTPP is growing, but first it must mature
11. China
11.1 Conservation conversation: China is trying to become a champion of biodiversity
It has a lot of ground to make up
11.2 Two passports, one problem: Olympic skier Eileen Gu sparks a debate about dual nationality
China does not allow it. But there may be loopholes
11.3 Chaguan: China’s “zero-covid” policy doubles as a loyalty test
Hong Kong can open to the mainland or the world. It must choose
12. Business
12.1 Digital geopolitics: Russia is trying to build its own great firewall
Can its tech industry separate from the West’s?
12.2 The middle-market corset: After expanding in 2021, fast fashion may be squeezed again
H&M and Inditex had a good year but face familiar challenges
12.3 Learnings growth: Can the ed-tech boom last?
The pandemic has turbocharged the education-technology business
12.4 Bartleby: A guide for wannabe leadership gurus
How aspiring management writers can stand out in a crowded field
12.5 Schumpeter: Companies have a lot to fear from Russia’s digital warmongering
Insurance against state-sponsored hacks is becoming harder to find
13. Finance & economics
13.1 The battle of the markups: Labour v capital in the post-lockdown economy
As prices and wages rise, are workers or firms winning?
13.2 Future of cities: The true cost of empty offices
Property investors are sitting on big losses
13.3 The Citi that was never finished: Citigroup is disposing of its international retail network
The sale marks the end of a remarkable experiment in global finance
13.4 Punting profits: Will prediction markets live up to the hype?
Their mainstream appeal remains uncertain
13.5 Buttonwood: Are financial crossbreeds monstrosities or labradoodles?
Crypto-SPAC fusions shed light on the question
13.6 Free exchange: A new history of sanctions has unsettling lessons for today
Sometimes they create the problem they are trying to solve
14. Science & technology
14.1 It is exactly rocket science: SpaceX’s monstrous, dirt-cheap Starship may transform space travel
Precisely when, though, remains unclear
14.2 Drug manufacturing: BioNTech plans to make vaccines in shipping containers
These standardised factories could be quickly scaled up to expand capacity worldwide
15. Culture
15.1 Writing India’s history: A book recalls the foreign agitators for India’s independence
The argument of “Rebels against the Raj” is about the future as much as the past
15.2 The story of life on Earth: Creatures of the deep past come to life in “Otherlands”
The long view in Thomas Halliday’s book offers both hope and trepidation
15.3 Making tech’s mafia: “The Founders” examines the rise and legend of PayPal
Its top brass, recounts Jimmy Soni, became one of tech’s most influential networks
15.4 Debut fiction: Love and other demons in “When We Were Birds”
Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s luminous novel is set in her native Trinidad
15.5 World in a dish: In the fickle world of restaurants, sticking to a vision takes guts
And, in the case of St John in London, bone marrow
15.6 Glaze of glory: The story of Pewabic Pottery is a chronicle of resilience
It is intertwined with the history of Detroit
15.7 Back Story: In “The Power of the Dog”, the Western rides again
Jane Campion’s triumphant film shows the grit and flexibility of a venerable genre
16. Economic & financial indicators
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17. Graphic detail
17.1 What makes murder?: Are progressive prosecutors to blame for an American homicide wave?
Recent data suggest the story is much more complicated
18. Obituary
18.1 Look behind the Ranges: John Hare devoted his life to saving the Gobi’s wild camels
The explorer, writer and conservationist died on January 28th, aged 87
