In the next installment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale discusses the European Union’s economic troubles and how they compare with the early crises of the US’s federal system. In both cases, she argues, political unity is invaluable to ensure the success of these overarching economic projects. But as recent developments in Europe unfold, it is clear that political consensus is an increasingly unlikely prospect.

Author article by Lyric Hughes Hale

In the next installment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale discusses the shocking exploitation of the growing, mostly black, US prison population by private corporations and the government profiting from prison labour. Hale traces this disturbing practice to the slave trade, and an unclosed constitutional loophole that continues to be exploited today.

Author article by Lyric Hughes Hale

In the next instalment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale discusses social media and its new role as a catalyst for political movements. Looking in particular at the failures of the Arab spring, Hale highlights the difficult realities that lie behind the twitter rhetoric.

Author Article by Lyric Hughes Hale

In the next instalment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale discusses how the growing infrastructure of cloud servers, data centres and undersea fibre optic cables is having an enormous influence on the economic and political development of countries, particularly in Africa.

Author article by Lyric Hughes Hale

In the next instalment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale discusses why an international floor on interest rates is crucial if we want to ensure a steady return to a healthy global economy.

Article by Lyric Hughes Hale

2011 has been an extraordinary year for events in Muslim countries, with regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya toppling spectacularly (not to mention the death of Osama Bin Laden in May). In the next instalment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale discusses the US’s relationship with Iran, a country which has somewhat evaded the news this year. Highlighting the ongoing isolation of Iran, Hale discusses the possibility of war in 2012, and offers positive solutions to improve relations with the country.

In the next instalment of her regular column, top economic commentator and What’s Next? author Lyric Hale tackles a subject that is frequently on the forefront of the news agenda, thanks in part to the Occupy Wall Street movement: why haven’t more bankers been prosecuted as a result of the global financial crisis? In this in-depth article Hale looks at previous financial crises, and outlines the legal and practical obstacles that stand in the way of justice being done. 

Article by Lyric Hughes Hale