Briefing

POLITICS BRIEF

You pays your money...

Political parties need increasing amounts of money. The third of our articles on the mature democracies in transition looks at how different countries are trying to let them have it without allowing the rich and powerful to buy undue influence

POLITICS BRIEF

Empty vessels?

Alexis de Tocqueville called political parties an evil inherent in free governments. The second of our briefs on the mature democracies in transition asks whether parties are in decline

POLITICS BRIEF

Is there a crisis?

After the collapse of communism, the world saw a surge in the number of new democracies. But why are the citizens of the mature democracies meanwhile losing confidence in their political institutions? This is the first in a series of articles on democracy in transition

EURO BRIEF

Eleven into one may go

The European Union’s new single currency, the euro, will replace 11 national currencies, from the D-mark to the Portuguese escudo, on January 1st. The first in a series of briefs looks at the background to this historic venture

A car is born

Choosing to launch a global product in an emerging market is risky. But Fiat had good reason to do so with the Palio