2022-01-22-Economist Graphs
1. The world this week
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1.2
1.3
2. Leaders
2.1 British politics: The parable of Boris Johnson
And what it says about Britain
2.2 The future of technology: Big tech’s supersized ambitions
From metaverses to quantum computing
2.3 Vlad the invader: Momentum is building for war in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin is courting disaster for Russia’s neighbour—and himself
2.4 Pragmatism over pride: The rising cost of China’s property and pandemic curbs
It needs to recalibrate both
2.5 The triumph of culture: Introducing our new Culture section
As politics and culture blur, our coverage is evolving
3. Letters
3.1 On Hong Kong, Chicago, voting reform, north-south divisions, the metaverse: Letters to the editor
A selection of correspondence
4. Briefing
4.1 Moonshooters: What America’s largest technology firms are investing in
Their focus is on the metaverse, cars and health care
5. Europe
5.1 The guns of January: As war looms larger, what are Russia’s military options in Ukraine?
They all have their drawbacks
5.2 An ever-closer union: Emmanuel Macron’s rivals are less Eurosceptic than before
But Europe still divides the presidential field
5.3 Must you be jabbed?: Arguments over compulsory covid-19 vaccination are raging across Europe
Austria is in the vanguard; others may soon follow
5.4 Land of ice and social democracy: The Nordic left is back in charge
But it has yet to define a new version of its admired social model
5.5 A not very new broom: Friedrich Merz takes over as leader of Germany’s Christian Democrats
Angela Merkel’s old foe finally gets the job
5.6 Charlemagne: What China’s bullying of Lithuania reveals about Europe
The EU’s internal indiscipline reduces its geopolitical heft
6. Britain
6.1 The price of survival: Boris Johnson’s broken premiership
He may cling on to office, but his hold on his party has gone
6.2 Telly addicts: Tory MPs love to hate the BBC, but Tory voters love to watch it
The latest piece of “red meat” may stick in the throat
6.3 Data: Britain’s Office for National Statistics did well during the pandemic
It did more as its job became harder
6.4 Hong Kongers: Britain’s newest immigrants are showing a flair for protest
Keeping up the old traditions
6.5 Still got skin in the game: Britain’s vellum industry is booming (quietly)
But the nation’s crafts are still endangered
6.6 Bagehot: Boris Johnson’s would-be assassins are very like him
The sons want to kill the father
7. Middle East & Africa
7.1 Welcome back: The Arab world is re-embracing its Jews
Changing attitudes and self-interested leaders are behind a surprising religious revival
7.2 Torturers on trial: Middle Eastern legal dramas play out in far-off courts
Despots won’t prosecute their own henchmen. So victims seek justice abroad
7.3 Full of tension: Sunnis and Shias in Bahrain remain as far apart as ever
A prime minister who once called for dialogue has disappointed
7.4 Soot, loot, reboot: South Africa, the world’s coal junkie, tries to quit
But a gang of coal-dependent politicians is making it hard
7.5 Potions for prudes: Nigeria’s conservative north is overflowing with aphrodisiacs
The call to prayer is often followed by offers of more earthly upliftment
8. United States
8.1 Labour constraints: Staffing shortages in America are a glimpse into its future
Even as the pandemic ebbs, the pool of potential workers may be permanently smaller than once assumed
8.2 Handing out money: America’s experiments with guaranteed-income schemes show promise
Could the pilot programmes be scaled up?
8.3 Changing gun culture: Gun-ownership in America is diversifying, because of safety fears
Concerns over safety lead more women and minorities to arm themselves
8.4 Flags and free speech: The Supreme Court looks askance at Boston’s refusal to fly a Christian flag
A pole dance over the First Amendment
8.5 Voting rights and wrongs: Joe Biden’s voting rights push is futile
He doesn’t have the votes—and his proposals are misguided
8.6
8.7 Evaluating the United States: Is America exceptionally good or exceptionally bad?
It depends whether you ask a Biden voter or a Trump one
8.8 Funnier than thou: As Christian conservatives take to satire, the left is not amused
A Bee with a mischievous sting
8.9 Lexington: Merrick Garland and his critics
The attorney-general needs to bolster the Department of Justice’s defences against Trumpism
9. The Americas
9.1 The last wave?: Omicron comes to Mexico, a place that never really shut down
The country has already seen over 600,000 excess deaths
9.2 Drug bust: Bills be damned: Mexico’s president decrees better health care
Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s policies have led to shortages of medicine
9.3 Clamping down: They wanted a voice. Cuba’s Communist regime will give them jail
Around 60 peaceful pro-democracy protesters, some as young as 16, face years behind bars
9.4 Of conservation and cash: Ecuador’s president is expanding the Galapagos islands reserve
He also wants to pump more oil and dig up more minerals
10. Asia
10.1 Battling the superbugs: Drug-resistant infections kill almost 1.3m people a year
To understand why, look at South Asia
10.2 A kingdom cut off: The damage from Tonga’s volcanic eruption is still unclear
Communications were down for days
10.3 Mud on mud: Both main candidates for the South Korean presidency are reviled
Yoon Seok-youl and Lee Jae-myung are mired in scandal
10.4 A captain walks: Virat Kohli, India’s cricket captain, was more than a sporting hero
In some ways the retiring skipper exemplified India’s new nationalism
10.5 Because I say so: Novak Djokovic’s deportation from Australia sets a troubling precedent
The country’s powers to expel people who offend it are growing
10.6 Banyan: Asia’s holiday spots are missing Chinese visitors
China’s strict quarantine rules are keeping them away
11. China
11.1 Art and party: How Chinese propaganda films became watchable
Patriotic blockbusters are so entertaining people willingly buy tickets
11.2 Speaking in tongues: A film in Shanghai dialect is a surprise hit in China
Local languages are generally discouraged
11.3 Chaguan: The Communist Party revisits its egalitarian roots
Xi Jinping offers the stressed-out middle classes a dose of populism
12. International
12.1 Breaking up is easier to do: Divorce in the rich world is getting less nasty
Reforms are making it cheaper, quicker and a bit less adversarial
13. Business
13.1 In search of mastery: Can China create a world-beating AI industry?
Don’t hold your breath
13.2 High score: Why Microsoft is splashing $69bn on video games
The tech giant’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is its biggest-ever deal
13.3 Going green-ish: What is ExxonMobil’s new climate strategy worth?
Big oil’s most reluctant decarboniser lays out its green plan
13.4 Flight tracker: Where next for air travel?
New covid variants stall aviation’s upward flight path
13.5 Less tea, more toothpaste: Unilever’s £50bn health cheque
Purchasing GSK’s consumer-health division may be hard to swallow
13.6 Bartleby: Drinking in the office
Don’t ban, don’t binge and don’t badger
13.7 Schumpeter: Making sense of the East-West divide in tech
A tale of two surprisingly different Turkish delights
14. Finance & economics
14.1 Omicronic pains: As China’s economy slows, policymakers seek to revive growth
Lockdowns and crackdowns are taking their toll
14.2 Chain reactions: Just how gummed up are supply chains?
A number of measures suggest that disruptions are historically high—and uncertainty lies ahead
14.3 Mixed messages: Why bank stocks are tumbling even as interest rates climb
Higher rates might crimp investment-bank profits
14.4 Battle of the blockchains: The race to dominate the DeFi ecosystem is on
Why Ethereum is losing market share
14.5 On the fringe: America’s labour shortages have done little to boost perks for workers
Low-paid workers receive more in benefits than before the pandemic. But the disparity with the highly paid is still vast
14.6 Buttonwood: Why the bias for debt over equity is hard to dislodge
With the preference for debt deeply rooted in financial markets, wholesale reform is risky
14.7 Free exchange: Economists are revising their views on robots and jobs
There is little evidence of a pandemic-induced surge in automation
15. Science & technology
15.1 Biotechnology: A $3bn bet on finding the fountain of youth
Can an instant unicorn crack cellular rejuvenation?
15.2 Child psychology: Babies learn about the world by looking at who shares saliva
Drools of attraction
15.3 Tropical diseases: A field test for malaria resistance
It will help to save lives, and may slow resistance’s spread
15.4 Marine conservation: Illuminating fishing nets may reduce by-catch
A green light for saving sharks and rays
16. Culture
16.1 The beat goes home: Beneath the rhythm, Congolese rumba is a link to the past
And the soundtrack of modern politics
16.2 On angels’ wings: A vivid history shows another side of the Crusades
“Queens of Jerusalem” brings forgotten medieval rulers to life
16.3 Into the swing: In “Free Love”, a woman finds liberation in “swinging London”
But, in Tessa Hadley’s new novel, freedom comes at a cost
16.4 World in a dish: The art of fasting
In a season of abstinence, take a lesson from Ethiopia
16.5 Risky business: A history and defence of venture capital in “The Power Law”
It is a vital feature of modern capitalism, says Sebastian Mallaby
16.6 Hip-hop revolutionaries: J Dilla “reinvented rhythm”, says Dan Charnas in “Dilla Time”
The producer heard music in a different way from his peers
16.7 Back Story: “West Side Story” and the magic of remakes
The best are a form of time travel, says our new culture column
17. Economic & financial indicators
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18. Graphic detail
18.1 A shot in the arm: Do vaccine mandates actually work?
The Canadian and European experiences suggest they do
19. Obituary
19.1 What the Red Tails did: Charles McGee faced adversity at home as much as abroad
One of the few survivors of the all-black “Tuskegee Airmen” died on January 16th, aged 102
