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Resistance to antimicrobial drugs has eroded their effectiveness at combating infections. Economics can help to analyse the problem and develop policy solutions, including subscription payments for antimicrobials, incentives for pharmaceutical companies and reformulation of existing treatments.

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has exploded in popularity, power and potential. How this continuing trend affects the UK economy will depend on how both policy-makers and domestic firms respond to the development of new digital technologies.

With its fragmented production process, European defence procurement is inefficient and uncompetitive in comparison to the United States. A new approach, prioritising cross-country collaborations, could improve things, but would not be without its own challenges.

Net migration in the UK reached historic highs following the introduction of the post-Brexit immigration system. While this is likely to have only minor effects on the labour market and public finances, evidence on housing is more mixed. The impact of further policy reforms targeting demand for migrant workers is also uncertain.

The UK’s financial services sector is facing falling investment, posing a risk to this vital part of the country’s economy. In response, regulators must balance consumer protection with growth, by ensuring proportionate oversight, clear rules and targeted support.

The West of England has a diverse economy, including rural areas, services-based jobs and advanced manufacturing hubs. Investment in infrastructure, skills and research and development (R&D) could help to boost the region’s productivity.

Uganda’s smallholder farmers continue to struggle with low crop yields. The government has tried public subsidies for key inputs in order to boost productivity. But the success of these policies relies on programme design and implementation, as well as the availability of complementary services.

Customs checks, differences in regulation and border delays have negatively affected EU-UK trade since Brexit. They’ve also cut the number of active firms and weakened competition. A range of policies could alleviate the effects: reducing the costs of firm entry is likely to have the biggest impact.

The 16-year-olds who took their GCSEs this summer started secondary school in the middle of the pandemic. The results of these high-stakes exams will highlight the uneven toll that Covid-19 lockdowns took on learning, as well as the key role that good grades play in shaping future opportunities.

To succeed, the industrial strategy needs to build strong local ecosystems in places where the eight priority sectors can thrive. The example of Greater Manchester shows why investment must be joined-up and focused on making the city-region a more productive place to do business across the board.

The Hundred cricket competition will soon have a new ownership structure. The sale of franchises will provide funds for the sport’s grassroots. But differences in the types of owners and ownership structures may bring bigger changes, including to TV rights and the county game.

The immediate inflationary impact of widening conflict in the Middle East is likely to be limited. But potential trade and supply chain disruptions, weakening business sentiment and elevated uncertainty could have major consequences for the global economy. Governments face tough budgetary choices.

Policy-makers understand that when firms have market power over the goods and services that they sell, consumers suffer. The consequences of market power in supply chains are less clear, but they also could harm consumers. Competition authorities are examining the research evidence.

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence has exploded in popularity, power and potential. How this continuing trend affects the UK economy will depend on how both policy-makers and domestic firms respond to the development of new digital technologies.

The UK is raising defence spending to bolster national security. But unless this shift supports defence-related research, without sacrificing public funds for innovation in health, science and education, the result could be slower productivity growth, not faster.

Ireland has turned its experience of large-scale emigration into an asset by actively engaging its diaspora and maintaining strong connections around the world. But with immigration into Ireland at record levels, policy-makers face new challenges.

Large shocks like the 2007/08 global financial crisis have reshaped the UK financial sector. Using network theory, researchers can monitor change in real time, exploring how different risks can be transmitted throughout the UK financial system.

Given the precarious state of the UK’s public finances, there has been speculation about whether a loan from the International Monetary Fund will be needed, as happened in 1976. What’s really required is a reformulation of the fiscal framework to establish a credible commitment for fiscal policy.

Over the past few centuries, Britain has undergone three periods of major agricultural change. These revolutions in farming practice are closely tied to long-term economic development and highlight the country’s journey from pre-industrialisation to post-war recovery.

For decades, landowners have fought to maintain the legal structure governing ownership and occupancy of multi-tenanted residential blocks. But growing awareness of the legal jeopardy of being a long-term flat occupier – plus the economic constraints of land law – have prompted demands for reform.

To succeed, the industrial strategy needs to build strong local ecosystems in places where the eight priority sectors can thrive. The example of Greater Manchester shows why investment must be joined-up and focused on making the city-region a more productive place to do business across the board.

The Hundred cricket competition will soon have a new ownership structure. The sale of franchises will provide funds for the sport’s grassroots. But differences in the types of owners and ownership structures may bring bigger changes, including to TV rights and the county game.

The annual rate of increase in UK consumer prices has fallen slightly to 3.4% but remains above the Bank of England’s target of 2%. Data corrections and measurement quirks dominate this month’s marginal decline. Looking ahead, oil price volatility poses the main upside risk to the inflation outlook.