2022-02-25-Economist Graphs

1. The world this week

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2. Leaders

2.1 Where will he stop?: History will judge Vladimir Putin harshly for his war

Russia’s president has launched an unprovoked assault on his neighbour

2.2 Spending the federal bonanza: The right way for America’s states to use federal largesse

America’s states have more green stuff than grey matter

2.3 The private-equity delusion: Investors have come to see private markets as a cash cow

They need to temper their expectations

2.4 Courting trouble: South Africa must protect its judges

Nelson Mandela warned about the weakening of the judiciary. He was right

2.5 Automation: The world should welcome the rise of the robots

Concerns over mass unemployment are unfounded

3. Letters

3.1 On Canada, bilingual people, Estonia, levelling up, Uganda, Gordon Brown, tech giants: Letters to the editor

A selection of correspondence

4. Briefing

4.1 The return of large-scale war to Europe: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has brought war back to Europe

5. Europe

5.1 Frenemies: Turkey’s rapprochement with Russia may not survive the war in Ukraine

It’s not easy being a member of NATO and a friend of Vladimir Putin

5.2 Bills to pay: Money matters take centre-stage in France’s election

The economy is healthy, the public finances are less so

5.3 Thunder on the right: The leader of Spain’s main opposition party is ousted

Pablo Casado will depart at an emergency party congress

5.4 Holy See-saw: Did Pope Francis restrict defendants’ rights?

The pontiff signed secret decrees authorising wiretaps

5.5 Free as air: An EU scheme to limit the use of dangerous gases runs into problems

Controlling the flow of hydrofluorocarbons turns out to be tricky

5.6 Charlemagne: Europe is the free-rider continent

Why lead when you can follow instead?

6. Britain

6.1 International trade: Britain’s post-Brexit trade policy is slowly maturing

The government is taking a more flexible approach

6.2 A new routine: After Brexit, Nigel Farage has net zero in his sights

He hopes for a referendum. He may find a niche

6.3 Covid-19 rules: England’s coronavirus regulations are no more

Many public-health advisers fear it may be too soon

6.4 Indeterminate prison sentences: Too many British prisoners are still serving indefinite sentences

Even after those terms were scrapped

6.5 Eyes on the big prize: Running Britain’s national lottery is not as easy as it was

A lot has changed since its launch in 1994

6.6 Trials and errors: Clinical trials are ailing

Britain invented clinical trials. Now it wants to reinvent them

6.7 Bagehot: Crisis in the NHS in 2022 will damage the Conservatives

Just as the financial crisis did Labour in 2008

7. Middle East & Africa

7.1 Judging judges: The enemies of South African democracy have the judiciary in their sights

What the attack on judicial independence says about the country’s future

7.2 Lines in the sand: West Africa’s coastal states are bracing for a jihadist storm

With French troops leaving Mali, its neighbours are at risk

7.3 Here comes Trouble: Names in southern Africa are both creative and revealing

They illuminate the past as well as aspirations for the future

7.4 Cleaning up the laundromat: The UAE tries to crack down on dirty money

Luxury homes and a thriving gold trade have been a magnet for corruption

7.5 A ban on the van: Are Cairo’s menacing minibuses on their way out?

How the government is rethinking transportation in the congested capital

7.6 Beak demand: The market for falcons is soaring as wild populations decline

Gulf royals risk killing a sport they love

8. United States

8.1 Take the money and run: How states are using, and misusing, funds from the American Rescue Plan

Governors benefit politically today, but they are creating liabilities for tomorrow

8.2 The Empire State: New York’s new governor is proving to be adept at the power game

The unexpected Kathy Hochul

8.3 Parks and permits: America’s outdoor permits are not solving overcrowding

Controlling access to fragile areas of natural beauty is not as simple as it sounds

8.4 Adolescent brides: Child marriage in America has fallen sharply—but not far enough

Resistance to reforms comes from both left and right

8.5 New universities: Pushback at cancel culture is leading to new educational initiatives

Some Americans want to reform from within. Some want to build anew

8.6 Lexington: Deploying reality against Putin

The administration is countering Russian disinformation on Ukraine

9. The Americas

9.1 Why Uruguay?: What Latin America’s success story can teach its neighbours

Political stability and business-friendly policies are key, but so is being slightly dull

9.2 The price of high prices: Brazil’s 10% inflation is eroding incomes and the president’s popularity

But not all the surge in prices can be blamed on Jair Bolsonaro

9.3 Bello: Juan Orlando Hernández, a former Honduran president, is arrested

His case highlights how far drug money has penetrated Latin American politics

10. Asia

10.1 K-popular: Why South Korea’s outgoing president is less unpopular than most

Under Moon Jae-in the country has weathered covid-19 and acquired global cultural heft

10.2 Call me by my name: Why so many Asian cities adopt an alias

Not because their people are demanding it

10.3 No mercy: Pakistan’s blasphemy law devastates scores of lives each year

Even devout Muslims are vulnerable to its abuse

10.4 The chastened cowboy: Will humiliation in Myanmar help Cambodia distance itself from China?

Cambodia’s strongman failed as a peacemaker there

10.5 Banyan: Parallels with Taiwan colour Asian views of the war in Ukraine

Some fear a Chinese invasion has become more likely

11. China

11.1 Choosing sides: Xi Jinping drew closer to Russia on the eve of war in Ukraine

Will he come to regret it?

11.2 Clinging to zero: Hong Kong’s refusal to live with covid-19 is causing chaos

The authorities plan to test all 7.4m residents and shove the infected in disused tower blocks

11.3 Chaguan: A story of a trafficked bride shocks China

A supposedly all-knowing state either failed to see horrors, or looked away

12. Special report

12.1 Into the mainstream: Private markets have grown exponentially

The past decade has been a golden one for private financial markets. As they become bigger they are being dramatically reshaped, says Matthew Valencia

12.2 Strategic priorities: Alternative fund managers are increasingly mainstream

But many “artisanal” PE firms are touting themselves as specialists

12.3 The investors: Investors rely more and more on higher returns from private markets

The institutional investors whose capital fuels private markets are growing more sophisticated. But picking winners gets no easier

12.4 Private credit: More borrowers turn to private markets for credit

Asset managers rush in where banks fear to tread, transforming a formerly niche market

12.5 Regulation and reputation: Regulators have private markets in their sights

Criticism of private equity is overdone. That won’t stop regulators giving it a harder time

12.6 The third age: Private markets are less rewarding than they used to be

The future may well be bright. It will certainly be less high-octane

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13. Business

13.1 The techno-independence movement: China wants to insulate itself against Western sanctions

We assess its progress in six critical technologies

13.2 Perfect storm: Sea Group faces choppier waters

After a period of smooth sailing, conditions have turned against South-East Asia’s super-app

13.3 Bartleby: The unseen costs of dirty work

Work confers dignity. But some jobs are also a source of stigma

13.4 Culture vultures: Private equity is buying up America’s newspapers

It may be helping more than it’s hurting

13.5 Burger flip-out: What is Carl Icahn’s beef with McDonald’s?

It isn’t about shareholder value

13.6 Reverse gear: Porsche and Volkswagen are set to uncouple—at last

A flotation will end an uneasy relationship

13.7 Schumpeter: How Gazprom helps the Kremlin put the squeeze on Europe

Vladimir Putin’s python may tie itself in knots

14. Finance & economics

14.1 Trading with the enemy: The economic consequences of the war in Ukraine

Expect higher inflation, lower growth and some disruption to financial markets

14.2 Artful dodging: America’s tariff wall on Chinese imports looks increasingly like Swiss cheese

As avoidance booms, so does the trade deficit

14.3 Lost and fund: Despite bulging debt everywhere, the IMF is struggling to be helpful

The world’s lender of last resort is hampered by geopolitical tensions

14.4 Karat and stick: Gold demand has surged in India

Despite the government’s efforts, Indians are rushing to stash metal under the mattress

14.5 The future of Generali: The battle to modernise Italy’s corporate governance

A bank fights billionaires over the fate of the country’s largest insurance firms

14.6 Getting sticky: With maverick policies, Turkey cannot hope to bring down prices

Stabilising the lira will not be enough to stave off inflation

14.7 Buttonwood: The many virtues of the yen, the rich world’s cheapest currency

Japan has low inflation, cheap stocks and a strong international balance-sheet

14.8 Free exchange: How to avoid a fatal backlash against globalisation

Studying how the first era ended could help preserve the second

15. Science & technology

15.1 Robotics: Covid has reset relations between people and robots

Machines will do the nasty jobs; human beings the nice ones

15.2 Neuroscience: Organoids and neuron transplants give new ways to study the brain

But they also bring ethical concerns

15.3 Epigenetic inheritance: A strange case of intergenerational memory

Nematode progeny “remember” bacteria encountered by a parent

15.4 Lithium production: Two new ways of extracting lithium from brine

How to increase the supply of an increasingly valuable metal

15.5 Science and the law: Eyewitness evidence is more reliable than has been thought

But only the first time you ask

16. Culture

16.1 Art and regeneration: Mexico revives a tradition of painting murals with a purpose

Iztapalapa, a teeming neighbourhood on the outskirts of Mexico City, is the heart of the trend

16.2 Novel-prizewinning fiction: Olga Tokarczuk’s “The Books of Jacob” is a wild, unruly saga

It takes readers on a “fantastic journey across seven borders, five languages and three major religions”

16.3 Home Entertainment: “Nosferatu” and the birth of the undead

On screen, killing monsters has always been a job for women

16.4 The Nixon presidency: In his memoir, an aide to Richard Nixon recalls him fondly

Dwight Chapin is loyal to his former boss in “The President’s Man”

16.5 Refugees and reportage: A journalist joins his Afghan friend’s odyssey to Europe

Matthieu Aikins chronicles their journey in “The Naked Don’t Fear the Water”

17. Economic & financial indicators

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18. Graphic detail

18.1 More equal than others: Are some countries faking their covid-19 death counts?

An elementary statistical test casts doubt on some abnormally neat numbers

19. Obituary

19.1 Lone Humourist Scourge: P.J. O’Rourke hoped to make life hell for do-gooders everywhere

America’s sharpest satirist died on February 15th, aged 74