Enrico Colombatto

  The United States economy has had a good run. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth is encouraging (2.5 percent in 2023 and more than 3 percent during the last 2023 quarter), and the February 2024 price inflation rate was down to 3.2 percent  – higher than expected but still a commendable result. The labor market is […]

Europe’s economy has recovered from the dislocations and restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the overall picture remains disappointing. During the past decade, the average annual growth rate of gross domestic product (GDP) in the European Union was about 1.5 percent, and preliminary estimates for 2023 are below 1 percent. Some believe that the […]

  In December 2023, PISA published the latest edition of its international report on student test scores for the year 2022. The results do not augur well for the future of Western countries as robust, modern economies and innovative societies. PISA stands for “Programme for International Student Assessment.” The system currently covers all 38 Organisation […]

Over the past 25 years, total government debt in the United States has increased significantly, from about $10 trillion in 2008 to about $33 trillion in 2023. That is a 130 percent rise, net of consumer price index inflation. The size of the economy has certainly grown as well, but not enough to offset the […]

  At first blush, the Chinese economy is doing relatively well. Although annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaged 10 percent during the first decade of this century and dropped to about 7 percent during the next, it was remarkably strong during the pandemic and is expected to reach 5 percent this year. These are […]