Throughout India’s G20 presidency, which culminates in this week’s summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has orchestrated an unprecedented marketing campaign portraying the country as a global economic and diplomatic powerhouse. But, despite some favorable trends and impressive recent achievements, some believe that hype springs eternal.

Even as China’s growth miracle unfolded, many warned of a slowdown and cautioned that the country, like so many before it, could become ensnared in the middle-income trap, unable to claw its way to high-income status. With the real-estate sector in turmoil, youth unemployment skyrocketing, and growth slowing sharply, have the China pessimists been proved right?

Reactions to Donald Trump’s criminal indictments have tended to focus on the implications for US democracy, and for good reason. But with George Soros warning that the cases against Trump could trigger a constitutional crisis, we asked PS commentators to assess the possible economic repercussions.

The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates at 11 of its last 12 policy meetings, winning it kudos for bringing about a significant drop in inflation without triggering a spike in unemployment or a recession. Has the Fed pulled off a soft landing, or should Americans be bracing for more turbulence?

While generative artificial intelligence has inspired no shortage of doomsayers, whether the technology does more harm or good will depend on how it is developed, by whom, and to what ends. What will it take to ensure that AI innovation is pursued responsibly, and that the results are applied in ways that bring broad-based benefits?

Despite slowing price growth, the US Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark policy rate by another 25 basis points, to a range of 5.25% to 5.5% – its highest level in more than two decades. With the European Central Bank also hiking rates over lingering inflation concerns, we asked PS commentators whether the fixation on 2% is warranted.

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has vowed to press on with his blatantly anti-democratic judicial reforms. With anti-government protests continuing to rock Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, we asked PS commentators what comes next for Israel.

With Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin having ordered his mercenaries to halt their advance on Moscow and exiled himself to Belarus, one might assume that Vladimir Putin has escaped the most brazen challenge to his rule to date. But despite its failure, Prigozhin’s mutiny may have exposed fundamental weaknesses in the Putin regime.

Developing economies struggling to cope with a range of crises, from overwhelming debts to escalating climate impacts, and world leaders are gathering in Paris to attempt to devise a way out. But will the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact come close to matching its ambitions?

Few technologies are as powerful – or as polarizing – as artificial intelligence. While more sanguine predictions may well be vindicated, this is far from guaranteed, and plausible catastrophic scenarios abound.

The strategic rivalry between the United States and China is intensifying rapidly, and judging by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent speech on the matter, further escalation is to be expected. This has contributed to dire predictions about China’s economic prospects, but both sides stand to lose.

People around the world have been feverishly engaging with OpenAI’s ChatGPT for months, yet we have barely scratched the surface of what generative artificial intelligence can do. Its capabilities are widely expected to transform our economies and societies, though there is far less agreement that the changes will be for the better.