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Economic inequality is the gap between average incomes in a country. It’s measured with the Gini coefficient, which divides a nation’s incomes by their population and then compares them to each other. A lower Gini coefficient indicates less inequality. Economic inequality can have many causes. The rise in inequality since 1980 is due to businesses […]

The study of international relations (IR) offers a unique, multifaceted lens through which to understand how governments and societies engage with one another, negotiate agreements, resolve conflicts, and address global challenges. It draws from academic fields such as political science, history, economics, law, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. IR scholars examine both formal diplomatic ties among […]

In a time where the term Coup d’etat is thrown around wildly in the news, scholars need to take a moment to define what this means. Coups are illegitimate changes in power that disrupt existing political orders and reshape the direction of governance toward new forms of authority. Whether the coups of Chad and Guinea […]

Stock market volatility measures the amount of uncertainty or risk in the markets. A higher level of volatility means prices swing more widely and a lower level of volatility implies less uncertainty or risk. Investors can use volatility to gauge how much risk they’re taking on when making investments, or as a tool to help […]

Territorial dispute is a disagreement between States over the placement of territory boundaries that delimit the areas in which they exercise sovereignty. Such disputes can be over the entire territory of a State or they can be focused on particular areas such as islands or the placement of borders along coastlines. They can have severe […]

Central banks have a vital role to play in the economy. They must provide a stable currency, keep inflation low, and serve as lender of last resort. They must also be independent of government interference. This independence is crucial to the success of monetary policy. Central bank policy is the set of actions a central […]

There’s a reason recession fears loom—and it might not be the right time to panic. The economy is still growing, but signs that growth is slowing are mounting, ranging from rising unemployment to declining stock prices and weakening consumer confidence. A key worry is a real-time tracker of the economy maintained by the Federal Reserve’s […]

Oil price fluctuation is the ebb and flow of the price of crude oil. Typically, when demand is higher than supply, prices will rise, and vice versa. However, there are many factors that can impact the price of oil including weather, geopolitics, and internal economics. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is the main […]

GDP is a measure of the economic output and income of a country or region. It is a standard economic indicator, used for international comparisons of national economies and for evaluating the social and economic progress of nations and regions. Purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion rates are commonly used to convert GDP figures from one […]

Regime change has been a popular policy instrument in the Middle East since the United States’ 1953 intervention in Iran, and has been advocated by many in the foreign policy community. Its advocates argue that the regime in question is corrupt and harming its citizens, and that a new government would be more friendly to […]