Measuring the progress of societies: Alternatives to GDP
During the 1990s under the Washington Consensus, ways of measuring different dimensions of society began to be reviewed: poverty (with multiple methodologies), inequality (with...
Rethinking public ownership of capital: A new progressive view
For a long time, the post-war era in the Western world seemed to confirm the optimistic view of reformers that inclusive institutions could be...
Big data in China: From myth to political economy
Big data: A contested mythical narrative in a developing country
Similar to in other parts of the world, big data entered China as a technical...
China’s media in Africa: Expansion, perception, and reception
Chinese media has increased its footprint in Africa in recent years, which is widely seen as a way for China to extend its ‘soft...
Culture in the age of globalisation
(I) The dynamics of cultural identity in the global context
For today’s citizen, “globalization” has come to mean an ever more complex system of interdependence...
The EU and the Western Balkans: A region of opportunities, not only of risks
Over recent years, the EU agenda and policy debate on the Western Balkans seem to have been in a conundrum. On one hand, the...
Paradoxes of happiness
There is evidence that income and wealth inequalities are positively associated with happiness, as measured by the happiness index, and negatively associated with suicide...
Re-industrialisation in the US; de-globalisation in China?
The United States was once a country renowned for its manufacturing capabilities but it experienced a decline in its manufacturing sector after 1980. A...
Mortality and life expectancy in post-communist countries
The transition to the market economy and democracy in Eastern Europe and former Soviet Union countries in the 1990s caused a dramatic increase in...
The president, the professor, and the resolution of the Italian political crisis
Despite probably being the single most widely criticised act by an Italian President, Sergio Mattarella´s veto on 27 May, which had resulted in postponing...