Laurence B Mussio and Paul Samson explore how the ledger has proven more sovereign and powerful than the sword. In today’s era of digital currencies and evolving geopolitics around payment systems, they illuminate how global power will continue to rest with those who control the ledger

The WTO is experiencing a serious crisis arising from tensions that are internal to the global trading system. Ignacio García Bercero identifies four critical areas for WTO reform to reinforce the rules-based trading system

Europe is recalibrating its industrial policy in response to external challenges. Maive Rute, Frank Vandermeeren and Anca Dumitrescu investigate the goals of this recalibrated approach and the key components for success

The US–Iran relationship appears to be at its lowest point in decades. Simon Johnson and Amir Kermani describe how the twin blockades of the Strait of Hormuz create the possibility of a time-consistent agreement linking the nuclear issue, sanctions relief, and uninterrupted navigation

The dramatic developments unfolding globally, spanning wars, geopolitical shifts, and trade disruptions, have caught Europe off balance. Marco Buti, Giancarlo Corsetti and Anna Peychev discuss the 2026 Florence Report and urge the EU to replace its broken ‘reduced responsibility model’ with a New European Social Contract integrating defence, finance, and the supply of public goods

Across developed countries there is a growing perception that social progress has stalled. Paul Johnson, James Banks, Tim Besley, Richard Blundell, Angus Deaton, Robert Joyce, and Debra Satz argue that stronger economic growth, more dynamic labour markets, and policies that help opportunities take root are essential to tackling inequalities