Free exchange
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20180901_BLP509.jpg)
Toil and trouble
Religious competition was to blame for Europe’s witch hunts
Many children are still persecuted as alleged witches in Africa for similar reasons
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20180728_FNP503.jpg)
Cementing relations
Has BRICS lived up to expectations?
The bloc of big emerging economies is surprisingly good at keeping its promises
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20180210_blp903_0.jpg)
Crash course
How to interpret a market plunge
Whether a sudden sharp decline in asset prices amounts to a meaningless blip or something more depends on mass psychology
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20171202_FNP507.jpg)
Dynamic do-over
Republicans grouse about tax models they once supported
When the experts say tax reform will not pay for itself, the party ignores the experts
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20171202_FNP503.jpg)
Job-stealing robots
Why scan-reading artificial intelligence is bad news for radiologists
Good news for patients is bad news for medical professionals
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20171014_FNP503.jpg)
The Nobel prize in economic sciences
Richard Thaler’s work demonstrates why economics is hard
It is difficult to model the behaviour of creatures as irrepressibly social as humans
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20171014_BLP501.jpg)
The 2017 Nobel prizes
The Nobel in economics rewards a pioneer of “nudges”
Richard Thaler becomes one of very few behavioural economists to receive the discipline’s highest honour
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20170923_FNP501.jpg)
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20170923_blp903.jpg)
Unwinding QE
The case against shrinking the Fed’s balance-sheet
The Fed has announced it will shed assets, but not how many
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20170902_BLP520.jpg)
America’s labour market
Is there a wage growth puzzle in America?
Weak wage growth suggests the economy is not at full employment
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20170805_WOC415.png)
Budgetary crystal balls
The hubris of ten-year budgets
No policymaker can accurately predict the future
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20170722_mma902.jpg)
Money talks