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As the red ink continues to rise in school districts around the country, it's coloring more and more pink slips. The Columbus, Ohio, public schools began the school year with [...]

When Harold Macmillan was asked what caused him the greatest difficulty while he was prime minister of the United Kingdom, he replied simply, 'Events.' In the past two years, the [...]

Whoever wins the presidential election will have political responsibility for an economy beset by four distinct problems. At the moment neither party has a compelling answer to them. The first [...]

Glum about the euro--and about Euro 2012 A lousy economy and a weak government make the Dutch less Teutonic DUTCH spirits have been glum since April, when the minority government [...]

The doctors think the medicine will work, if the euro does not die first THE European Commission this week released its health check of European economies--and the verdict at times [...]

China-watchers pored over the government's pronouncement that it will aim for an economic growth rate of 7.5% this year, the first time in eight years that the official target has [...]

As expected, Vladimir Putin won Russia's presidential election on March 4th. Officially Mr Putin got 64% of the vote, although there were widespread reports of foul play. Around 15,000 people [...]

Byline: Eleanor Clift The deficit continues to climb. Obama ignored the two men who tried to stop it. Alan Simpson And Erskine Bowles When it comes to taking stands that [...]

More evidence that austerity can backfire THE fiscal hawks should be pleased. For all the hand-wringing about public profligacy, budget deficits across the rich world fell by about 1% of [...]

Once again, EU leaders have raised high hopes of a solution SECOND marriages supposedly represent the triumph of hope over experience. Similarly, in the lead-up to every EU summit, investors [...]

It was never supposed to fall on the Defence Department itself IN THE summer of 2010 Admiral Mike Mullen, then still chairman of America's joint chiefs of staff, said that [...]

Byline: Ronald Brownstein The lesson of the congressional super committee's agonies should be that deficit reduction is a journey, not a destination. Absent an unexpected, last-minute breakthrough, the 12-member panel [...]

Byline: Matthew Cooper It wasn't supposed to be this way. In a moment of deep national import, the Senate is supposed to be the chamber that manages to suppress its [...]

Byline: Nancy Cook With the deficit-reduction super committee's deadline less than two weeks away, and lawmakers yet to display any hint of agreement, budget mavens are already gearing up for [...]

In the face of economic crisis and massive imbalances, the leaders of the world's large economies, the Group of 20 or G-20, are paralyzed. 'The weakness of western leaders is [...]

The EU's newer members are not its most troubled--but they have problems WOBBLY finances, low living standards and weak institutions are a bad mixture. The ten 'new' (a relative term: [...]

Confronting an ongoing economic crisis, US politicians have assigned greater priority to the nation's large deficit rather than an unemployment rate officially listed at 9.2 percent. Also overlooked is a [...]

A return to decent growth is essential ANOTHER bad week for Europe, featuring sit-ins in Spain, a lowered ratings outlook for Italy and yet another austerity plan for Greece. The [...]

Barack Obama has ducked the challenge of grappling with America's medium-term deficit woes IMAGINE you have developed a serious weight problem. Things have been going badly for you, and as [...]

Cash is flowing into Germany's treasury. But don't expect big tax cuts GERMAN politicians see little to admire in their tax system. Any regime that keeps half a taxpayer's additional [...]

Britain's overstretched defence budget should be cut--but not in the ferocious way being contemplated ONLY America among Western countries has been more willing than Britain to put its armed forces [...]

Corporate taxes are starting to fill the coffers again FEW financial writers have been able to resist the comparison between the sun-drenched, debt-ridden states of southern Europe and those of [...]

Paul Ryan has been taking a lot of bashing from the liberal blogs because his budget plan uses a chainsaw rather than a scalpel, and is unlikely to pass. Given [...]

The sorry state of Greece's public finances is a test not only for the country's policymakers but also for Europe's SOME would say that tragedy was inevitable from the moment, [...]

With the economy still stagnant and the national deficit rising, the White House is planning to expand a freeze on top-level pay and bonuses, according to the Office of Management [...]

Don't cut the deficit now--but explain how, eventually, you will FOR years America's fiscal problems had a surreal quality. No one disputed that an ageing population and health-care inflation could [...]

The nearly 22 percent surcharge that was tacked onto the Michigan Business Tax late last year is again becoming a target - this time, for reduction or repeal. Business groups [...]