Countries differ in attracting foreign direct investment because governments prioritize political survival over economic growth. While FDI can boost growth, it may also shift power and increase inequality, making it politically risky. Evidence shows a U-shaped relationship: highly competitive democracies and stable autocracies attract more FDI, while intermediate systems attract less. Ultimately, FDI flows depend on political incentives, not just economic conditions.

Housing in Europe has become increasingly unaffordable as prices and rents have outpaced income growth over the past decade. Structural factors—limited housing supply, rising construction costs, higher interest rates, and pressure from short-term rentals—have intensified the crisis. The burden falls disproportionately on low-income households and younger generations, deepening inequality. Despite policy initiatives, current efforts remain insufficient to address the scale of

Monetary policy should generally “look through” temporary energy-driven inflation shocks, as tightening can disproportionately harm vulnerable households. However, a stronger response is needed if such shocks spill over into core inflation or cause inflation expectations to become persistently de-anchored, requiring central banks to act to maintain price stability.

England records around 30,000 excess deaths every winter: 30% more people die daily in January than August. Respiratory disease, cardiovascular conditions, and dementia drive the seasonal surge, amplified by cold homes and an ageing population. The pattern is strikingly consistent across a decade of ONS data, and largely preventable.

Digital expansion abroad often reduces performance at first due to rising complexity and costs. Only after firms scale, learn, and integrate physical and digital operations do benefits emerge, turning early losses into long-term gains.

Safe AI in healthcare requires strict governance, bias testing, and transparency before and after deployment. Systems must ensure diverse data, subgroup accuracy, explainability, and human oversight, while continuously auditing performance. Strong policies, accountability, and clinician control are essential to prevent harm, ensure fairness, and build trust in AI-driven care.

AI in healthcare can reproduce biases, leading to unequal outcomes across gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic groups. Addressing this requires diverse data, transparency, auditing, and strong governance to ensure fair and safe care.

Immigration in Italy is often portrayed as a crisis, but evidence shows it can support economic growth and offset demographic decline. The main challenge lies in poorly designed policies and limited legal entry channels. Better migration management—through legal pathways and stronger labour market integration—could help Italy address labour shortages and improve economic outcomes.

AI innovation is shifting income from labour to capital in Europe. Regions with higher AI patent activity show declines in labour’s share, mainly through wage compression for medium- and high-skilled workers. This trend raises risks of greater inequality and highlights the need for policies that spread AI’s benefits more broadly.

The National Student Survey (NSS) collects final-year UK students’ views on teaching and university experience. Recent data show disparities across subjects and student groups, with lower scores for student voice and some minority groups. While widely used by regulators and universities, critics argue the NSS measures perceptions rather than teaching quality and may encourage institutions to prioritize satisfaction over academic rigor.