The lawmakers have proposed capping interest rates on consumer loans at 15%, but doing so may hurt some of the people it’s aiming to protect.
Protesters clash with police outside the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) building in Jakarta following the announcement of the Indonesian presidential election result on 22 May 2019.
Adi Weda/EPA
Post-election riots in Jakarta prompted Indonesia to limit social media access. But this also hampers verified information from credible media reaching the public.
Sanctions are making life increasingly difficult for ordinary Iranians, such as those in Isfahan.
Doug Hostetter
Growing fears of a US conflict with Iran show why the kind of unilateral sanctions the Trump administration imposed last year don’t work.
Mining accounts for about half of Australia’s exports. In terms of ‘economic complexity’, the nation ranks 59th in the world, between Kazakhstan and Lebanon.
Shutterstock
As the rich get richer in India, many voters seem willing to overlook their everyday struggles, hoping that the trickle-down effect of a “business friendly” government will help the overall economy.
Trump’s tax returns have been a rallying cry for Democrats since the 2016 campaign.
Reuters/Mark Makela
While the Treasury secretary says House Democrats lack a ‘legitimate’ reason for demanding Trump’s tax returns, a former IRS attorney explains that the law says otherwise.
The problem of unsafe drinking water afflicts poor communities most.
Reuters/Carlos Barria
Just as America’s highways, sewage systems and water pipes need fixing, so does the growing gap between rich and poor. Trump and the Democrats could use that money to address both.
We care about more than economics when it comes to the polling booth. So why don’t governments listen?
from www.shutterstock.com
Countries around the world are taking society’s happiness and well-being into account when formulating policy. So, why is Australia so focused on economics as the sole marker of progress?
Julian Assange goes back to court in London on May 2.
Reuters/Hannah Mckay
The US indicted WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange for conspiring to hack into a government computer. But the prosecution of Assange may also pose a risk to the rights of journalists in the US.
No place for young people.
Gareth Fuller/PA Images.
The Coalition and Labor have outlined their plans for Indigenous health spending. There are some worthwhile pledges, but these policy promises could better reflect what our First Nations people need.
Facebook allows advertisers to target low-income Americans.
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
The drumbeat of data breaches and the growing problem of identity theft disproportionately harm low-income Americans.
Quebec Premier François Legault stands in front of the crucifix in the provincial legislature where he announced the religious symbol will be removed. Québec is both the most homogeneous province from a religious point of view and the most detached from its religious culture.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Many Canadians are puzzled by Québec’s law banning some civil servants from wearing religious symbols. A Québec sociologist explains the law is rooted in the province’s troubled history with religion.
Nixon convinced Fed Chair Arthur Burns, seated left, to lower interest rates, helping him win re-election in 1972.
AP Photo
President Trump has been attacking the Federal Reserve for months and appears intent on nominating political allies to its board. An economist explain what typically happens next.
Indonesia’s incumbent president Joko Widodo.
Mast Irham/EPA
We ask political and human rights experts to analyse what Jokowi’s victory means, based on this early quick count, for civil liberties and the protection of human rights in Indonesia.
Benjamin Netanyahu won his fifth term as the Israel’s prime minister.
EPA/Jim Hollander
Stephen J. Silvia, American University School of International Service
A quarter-century ago, more than 100 nations agreed to engage in freer trade with one another and signed the declaration that established the World Trade Organization.
Several 2020 presidential candidates have called for reparations for slavery in the U.S.
AP Photo/Douglas Healey
Reparations has emerged as a hot topic among Democratic candidates hoping to replace Trump in 2020. But until now, the issue has only rarely received national attention.