Fine particulate matter can get lodged in our lungs and trigger massive health impact. These also foul the environment. They extract economic toll too. When over 90% of the world’s people breathe contaminated poor quality air and fall sick, it’s obvious that the ripples will be felt on the economy as well. A recent report revealed that premature deaths …

  I spent most of the last two days driving and walking along the border fence at Brownsville, Texas. It’s not the first barrier of this kind that I’ve seen. They’re going up everywhere — in more than 40 countries now: Donald Trump’s calls for a powerful border wall are part of a trend. Though their reasons for existence, styles …

There has been a lot of heated debate in the news media and the election campaigns about international trade. In the first presidential debate, candidate Donald Trump relentlessly flogged the issue, declaring that trade had hollowed out American industry. On the left, antitrade sentiment continues to simmer, much of it focused on opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Meanwhile, the economics …