US

  In his second term, United States President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with self-proclaimed “China hawks,” advisers, and officials eager to outmaneuver Beijing in the ongoing U.S.-China rivalry. However, a series of mixed signals, vague actions and unfilled key roles, such as critical ambassadorships and senior agency positions, have left observers both at home […]

  A few weeks ago, Argentina slid into another currency crisis. In what appeared to be a desperate move, the Argentine government reached out to the U.S. Treasury, seeking assistance from its Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF)—the same fund famously used to help Mexico during the Tequila Crisis in the mid-1990s. Argentina hasn’t received a single […]

We are pleased to announce a new collaboration between the Institute for Research in Economic and Fiscal Issues (IREF) and the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation (ECAEF), focused on publishing a series of articles on economic and fiscal topics. It emphasizes our commitment to independent thought, academic freedom, and critical inquiry.   On July […]

  As South Africa adapts to the new reality of a 30 percent tariff imposed on a range of goods by the administration of United States President Donald Trump, questions have emerged about whether Pretoria has taken all necessary steps to safeguard its economy against this challenge. The coalition government, led by the African National […]

  Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman offered a pointed observation last week: some of the most consequential shifts in financial policy are not the product of deliberate votes or formal rule changes. Instead, they emerge quietly, when regulations written for one set of conditions become more and more binding as the conditions […]