A recent podcast episode featuring a well-known economist sparked a debate when the guest suggested that “some corruption” might, paradoxically, enhance economic growth in heavily bureaucratic systems. Although she later clarified that she does not endorse corruption, her comment raised an important question: Can corruption ever play a functional role in economic development? While corruption… Continue reading The Paradox of Corruption: Can It Actually Foster Growth? The post The Parado...| Fair Observer
Rohan Khattar Singh, Fair Observer’s Video Producer & Social Media Manager, talks with Daniel Bunn, President and CEO of the Tax Foundation, about the rise of digital services taxes (DSTs). They explore what these taxes are, why governments are introducing them, their impact on consumers and businesses, and how the United States — particularly under… Continue reading FO° Talks: Your Netflix, Prime, Hulu, Hotstar Could Get Costlier, Here’s Why The post FO° Talks: Your Netflix, Prime,...| Fair Observer
In his address to the nation on the 79th festival of independence, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi gave the longest speech ever by any PM. For 103 minutes, he promised to “stand shoulder to shoulder with his people” on the journey towards a $10 trillion economy by 2047 – Viksit Bharat (Developed India). He envisioned… Continue reading Modi at the Red Fort: An Address to Islamabad, Washington and Beijing The post Modi at the Red Fort: An Address to Islamabad, Washington and Beijing a...| Fair Observer
Between reflation and redistribution over the past decade, Japan has witnessed two major attempts to escape the grip of economic stagnation and demographic decline. These attempts materialized in two opposing macroeconomic paradigms under Prime Ministers Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida. Abe’s Abenomics (2012–2020) was a bold experiment aimed at reflating the Japanese economy through coordinated… Continue reading Abe and Kishida: The Two Contrasting Visions for Japan’s Political Economy T...| Fair Observer
In 1971, US President Richard Nixon shocked the global financial system by ending the dollar’s convertibility into gold, dissolving the Bretton Woods order and introducing a new era of floating exchange rates. Treasury Secretary John Connally, with striking candor, declared: “The dollar is our currency, but it’s your problem.” This phrase has echoed through decades… Continue reading Our Dollar, Your Problem: Market Stress, Exchange Rate Feedback and the Fiscal Reckoning Ahead The po...| Fair Observer
[Though this video is not recent, the authors’ discussion remains relevant today.] Fair Observer Founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh and retired CIA Officer Glenn Carle debate whether the US federal debt is truly an economic threat or an overblown worry. The discussion contrasts conventional alarmist views with a more nuanced economic perspective, touching on… Continue reading FO° Exclusive: Is the US Debt a Big Problem? The post FO° Exclusive: Is the US Debt a Big Problem? appear...| Fair Observer
Tariffs are traditionally seen as instruments of strategic economic policy — tools for protecting domestic industries, exerting pressure on rivals or shaping global trade norms. Yet under US President Donald Trump, their erratic deployment has served less as a coherent tool of statecraft and more as a symbol of strategic disorientation. Nowhere is this misapplication… Continue reading Tariffs, Strategy and the Cost of Misplaced Power The post Tariffs, Strategy and the Cost of Misplaced Po...| Fair Observer
Department alerts tech suppliers to its plans to proceed with early planning and exploratory stages of the delivery of a system that will unite information from a range of sources HM Treasury is proceeding with plans to implement a major new government data platform intended to drive minister| PublicTechnology
Populism is increasing around the world, driven by public frustration with inequality, weak institutions and unfulfilled democratic promises.| Fair Observer
Thanks to rising prices and cost-of-living crisis, right-wing populists have broken through in the election for the upper house of the Japanese parliament.| Fair Observer
On July 4, 2025, US President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which extends the 2017 tax cuts and overhauls Opportunity Zones.| Fair Observer
Reading Time: 6minutesDisponible en français. Given the growing frequency and intensity of severe weather events around the world, like hurricanes, wildfires, floods and violent storms, households have had to make increasingly costly home insurance claims. Canada has not been spared; it even... Read More › The post The Home Insurance Market and Severe Weather Events in Canada appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Reading Time: < 1minuteDisponible en français. This HillStudy consists of a series of questions and answers intended to provide a better understanding of economic statistics and federal government finances. It covers such topics as the following: production: gross domestic product (GDP); inflation: consumer price index; nominal and real... Read More › The post Executive Summary – Federal Government Finances: Questions and Answers appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Leaders provide MPs with details of losses, including clarification that incident is not a cyber breach of the department, but rather a widespread phishing exercise perpetrated on thousands of individuals HM Revenue and Customs incurred losses of £47m as a result of cybercriminals gaining acc| PublicTechnology
This HillNote is the first in a series of four publications about productivity. The second in the series presents Canada’s productivity performance compared to other advanced economies. The third analyzes the main potential causes of Canada’s relatively low productivity growth, and the fourth analyzes the principal potential solutions.| HillNotes
One of Parliament’s fundamental roles is to review and approve the government’s taxation and spending plans. To fulfill this role, parliamentarians follow the parliamentary financial cycle, which consists of a continuous loop of activities that take place throughout the calendar year. Because the federal government’s fiscal year begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March, activities that take place during a single calendar year may relate to different fiscal years.| HillNotes
Domestically, discussions about Canada’s defence spending are generally focused on the Department of National Defence (DND), including the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).However, in reporting their defence spending to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, or the Alliance), Canada and other NATO member states can also include expenditures relating to other departments and agencies.Moreover, calculations of defence spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) vary, depending ...| HillNotes
On 21 May, field data collection began for South Sudan’s National Population Estimation Survey (PES), an important milestone in the country’s effort to collect baseline demographic and socioeconomic data. Der Beitrag South Sudan’s microcensus marks an important first step in campaign to leave no one behind erschien zuerst auf GRID3.| GRID3
GRID3’s support across various African borders enabled over a million US dollars in savings for Liberia's government in a recent purchase of high-resolution satellite imagery. These funds can now be used to make other critical investments that modernise Liberia's geospatial capabilities for census and national population data systems. Der Beitrag Liberia saves big on satellite imagery with the support of GRID3 erschien zuerst auf GRID3.| GRID3
The first joint meeting of the GRID3 Nigeria National Steering and Technical Committees took place on Monday, February 10th, at the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja. The meeting was convened by the Chair of the Steering Committee, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, who is the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning. Der Beitrag GRID3 Nigeria National Steering and Technical Committees agree on project goals during first joint meeting erschien zuerst auf GRID3.| GRID3
The purpose of Canada’s retirement income system is twofold: to alleviate poverty among seniors and to help seniors who are better off to avoid significant declines in living standards when they retire. This HillStudy outlines the different components of the system, who they target, how much they cost and how they are financed. While there is general agreement that the retirement income system is a policy success story, a broader discussion of how well the system is meeting its objectives t...| HillNotes
A rental housing co-operative (co-op) is a non-profit corporation in which each member-resident owns one share. A form of community housing, rental co-ops are democratically governed by their members, who may also participate in management and operational functions. Shares do not appreciate and cannot be sold, and rents are generally set to break even with operating costs such that no profit accumulates. Any surpluses are saved in a reserve fund. Canada’s rental co-ops follow a non-equity m...| HillNotes
After publicly unveiling – and then swiftly revoking – plans to significantly scale back its telephone services, HM Revenue and Customs needs to recruit additional personnel, according to permanent secretary Jim Harra The head of HM Revenue and Customs has said the department has been tasked| PublicTechnology
The federal budget outlines the government’s revenue estimates and expenditure priorities for the fiscal year. It is a key component of the parliamentary financial cycle. The outlook for budgetary revenues and expenses can be found in tables A1.6 and A1.7 of Budget 2024.| HillNotes