South Africa's economic reform ambitions fall short of what's required: a few pointers

Oct 29, 2020 10:04 am UTC| Economy

Over the past two decades various African National Congress (ANC) administrations in South Africa have sought to redistribute income to the poor and the vulnerable. They have also sought to stimulate rapid economic...

'Decarbonisation' may be the wrong goal for energy – here's why

Oct 29, 2020 10:03 am UTC| Economy

Electricity generated by nuclear power plants, wind turbines and solar panels results in negligible greenhouse gas emissions, even when their manufacture, construction and maintenance is taken into account. To the casual...

Will the population freeze allow our big cities to catch up on infrastructure?

Oct 29, 2020 10:01 am UTC| Economy

The 2020 federal budget forecasts Australias population growth will slow to almost zero over several years because of COVID-19 and related restrictions. This leads to the question: will this period allow the big cities to...

Capitalism and the coronavirus crisis: the coming transformation(s)

Oct 29, 2020 09:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The world economy is currently experiencing its severest contraction since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Unlike the Great Depression and the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2008-2009, this crisis cannot be directly...

South Africa's waning economic fortunes demand harsh policy adjustments: who will bear the brunt?

Oct 29, 2020 09:43 am UTC| Economy

The social and economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated South Africas fiscal crisis. But the origins of the fiscal crisis are deeper. It is a structural crisis that will define public policy over...

Mercedes-Benz to increase stake in Aston Martin up to 20%

Oct 29, 2020 02:11 am UTC| Business Economy

Mercedes-Benz will increase its stake in British carmaker Aston Martin years from 2.6 percent to as much as 20 percent over the next three, in exchange for technologies and components of its hybrid and electric...

Spain to increase taxes on big firms, use $31.8 billion in European grants

Oct 28, 2020 13:00 pm UTC| Economy

The Spanish government will increase taxes on big corporations and the wealthy and use $31.8 billion in European grants in efforts to reverse its economic slump. There were talks on using all $164 billion that the EU...