Insights

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What new US rules mean for fossil-fuel power costs and the future of emissions trading

Energy & Commodities

Stephanie Grumet
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The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Transport Rule was published in the Federal Register on April 6th. Also known as the “Good Neighbor Rule”, it is sweeping in its geographic scope and breadth. The rule would affect 26 US states; set lower emissions standards for coal and gas fired electricity generators, create new emissions standards for multiple…

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Digitally connected or divided: will the Government finally achieve its telecoms rollout ambitions?

TMT

Josh Bates
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5G and gigabit-broadband rollout have often been heralded as the means by which the UK becomes a truly digitally connected and inclusive nation. Whilst the Conservative Government initially set out a bold commitment to deliver full-fibre and gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business by 2025, this was soon rolled back to an aim of 85% coverage by 2025, with a…

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General Politics

Poland builds diplomatic capital, but its economy faces difficulties

General Politics

Beata Stepantchenko
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Poland has found itself taking centre stage in the global arena as the Russia-Ukraine war persists. As one of NATO’s most exposed frontline states, Poland has become a key route for the supply of weapons, ammunition, fuel and other assistance to Ukraine. The country has been at the forefront of taking the most hawkish approach towards Russia in the EU, with prime minister…

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General Politics

How the war in Ukraine sets the to-do-list of the prospective Hungarian government

General Politics

Anikó Zsebik
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While the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine can be felt globally, the surrounding region is undoubtedly the most affected. The Baltics and Central European countries face an existential threat and are looking for security guarantees from the international community. A reprioritisation of public spending is inevitable due to economic worries and the strain…

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The impact of China’s zero-covid strategy on global supply chains

Trade & Manufacturing

Ross Nugent
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As most of the world’s major economies learn to live with covid-19, China remains committed to a strategy of suppressing even single-digit caseloads of the virus. Until recently, the policy could be credited as a relative success in both epidemiological and economic terms. As mounting caseloads and more infectious variants prompt officials into renewed lockdowns in China…

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General Politics

Globalisation in reverse: sanctions and the future of multilateralism

General Politics

Jon Garvie
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Russia is now the most sanctioned country in history. Since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24th February, 4,860 new measures have been applied to 519 entities, 4,309 individuals, 30 vessels and 3 aircraft. The 7,614 sanctions applied in total is more than double the number applied to the next most sanctioned country, Iran. No matter how the war ends, many of these…

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Can the UK innovate its way beyond the frictions? The case of clinical trials regulations

Health and Life Sciences

Rachel Lygoe
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At the start of this year, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) launched a consultation on its proposals for legislative changes to clinical trials. The consultation marks the latest in a series of efforts to reform the UK’s life sciences regulatory landscape post-Brexit and create a “world-class sovereign regulatory environment for clinical…

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How an international embargo against Russian oil could work

Trade & Manufacturing

Thomas Gratowski
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What seemed the most extreme of scenarios three weeks ago is now slowly becoming a reality: an embargo against Russian oil exports. Joe Biden, the US president, has announced that the US would ban the import of Russian oil and the UK’s business and energy secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has said Britain would phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2022. These…

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How the Ukraine crisis will disrupt international trade

Trade & Manufacturing

Alexander Bobroske
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Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has triggered a humanitarian and refugee crisis. The war is acutely impacting access to medicine, food, and cash in Ukraine while the ramifications of Western sanctions on Russia and Belarus are having a profound effect on these economies and more widely. While there is an inevitable focus on the implications of the conflict for…

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General Politics

Political illusions of the French presidency

General Politics

Franck Thomas
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Since the beginning of its Council of the EU presidency, the French government has been vocal about the urgency to secure a deal on major digital proposals, namely the Digital markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). Other EU governments and the EU institutions are supportive of this accelerated timetable on the basis that it could help combat Eurosceptic…

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Forget Build Back Better – US Infrastructure bill is a green energy windfall

Sustainability

Stephanie Grumet
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US Democrats have been wringing their hands for weeks about the apparent collapse late last year of President Biden’s proposed Build Back Better social spending package, with swing vote Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) now-infamously pulling his support for the multi-trillion-dollar bill just before the holidays. The plan’s failure has obscured for now the fact that a separate…

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Private equity in fragile states

General Policy

Beata Stepantchenko
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The tense situation in Ukraine has prompted conversations about investor sentiment towards distressed assets in fragile states. For private equity firms, investing in regions that are unstable and carry uncertainty, whether because of political instability or conflict, is risky. 

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General Politics

Inflation: perceptions and political responses

General Politics

Rishi Patel
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As inflation rises in the UK, (the latest forecast suggesting 5.4% for consumer prices for the year to December 2021), so too is it rising up the agenda for policymakers and businesses. This raises important policy and policy communications questions, but also questions about how consumers will respond if policymakers don’t – or even if they do. 

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Federal and state policies poised to propel green hydrogen investment in the US

Sustainability

Stephanie Grumet
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Private financing of green hydrogen projects is likely to gain traction in the US, galvanised by billions in federal funding forthcoming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), an infrastructure bill passed in the US Congress last year. The IIJA authorised $8 bn in grants to foster hydrogen hubs, accelerating both production and end-use applications that…

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E-scooters: What are they good for?

TMT

Megan Stagman
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In July 2020, the UK government authorised a series of pilot projects that saw e-scooters proliferate across the country. What had hitherto been a niche and novel technology quickly became commonplace. Yet in spite of their newfound prevalence, the question which policymakers are still asking a year and a half later is: what are e-scooters actually for, and who are they…

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Caught in the crosshairs: The Middle East and the US-China Cold War

General Policy

Ahmed Helal
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On January 10th, the foreign ministers of four Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, concluded a first-of-its-kind Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) visit to China to consolidate ties with Beijing. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his Gulf counterparts in the city of Wuxi in eastern China and subsequently hosted the foreign ministers of Turkey and…

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Crypto mining could give orphaned natural gas wells a new lease on life

General Policy

Ben Bassett
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The US oil and gas industry is no stranger to criticism from Washington, and the Biden administration has only ramped up the inflammatory attacks. At a time where the industry is desperate for a narrative change, an unlikely partner has emerged – crypto miners. For both industries, which have been unable to free themselves from the shackles of political scrutiny, this…

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Is climate delay the new climate denial?

Sustainability

Lily-Ann Peterson
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Whilst the number of companies and governments announcing net-zero pledges has soared over the past year, so too has scrutiny over the contents of these commitments and their founding intentions. Despite the private sector taking an unprecedented role at COP26, there is growing concern that there is no way to assess the quality and credibility of firms’ green commitments,…

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