Why are some languages spoken faster than others?New research suggests that different tongues, regardless of speed, transmit information at roughly the same rate WERE THIS article written in Japanese, it would be longer. A Thai translation, meanwhile, would be shorter. And yet those reading it aloud, in either language or in its original English, would finish at roughly the same time. This peculia

How compatible are democracy and capitalism?Economic stress and demographic change are weakening a symbiotic relationship OF LATE THE world’s older democracies have begun to look more vulnerable than venerable. America seems destined for a constitutional showdown between the executive and the legislature. Brexit has mired Britain in a constitutional morass of its own. Such troubles could be mistak

Migration and labour shortages in Asian countriesWhere workers will be needed in the region, and where they could come from By THE DATA TEAM THE Asian “model” of migration tends to be highly restrictive, and often appears more dedicated to stemming immigration than to managing it. The continent′s governments frequently curtail entry severely, strongly discourage permanent settlement and keep citiz

No business like show businessOur analysis of the art and science of creating a hit show “HAMILTON”, a hip-hop musical about one of America’s founding fathers and the architect of its financial system, is an unlikely smash. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s creation has been the hottest ticket on Broadway since the show started in July last year. On June 12th it won 11 Tony awards, theatre’s equivalent of Osca

China’s tyranny of charactersThe Communist Party wants all of China to speak Mandarin. One reason is to prevent places like Hong Kong doing a Brexit