In “Human and Economic Evolution,”  I discussed how natural selection is alive and well among humans, and used such examples as genetic resistance to malaria among Africans and high aptitudes in the maths and sciences among Ashkenazi Jews.  Today I’d like to discuss an interesting finding reported in The Economist that is relevant to the...Read More

I originally penned this article for the August 2007 issue of the HS Dent Forecast–nearly three years ago.  My comments on deflation and consumer spending turned out to be right on the mark. The late Milton Friedman may be the most accomplished economist of his generation. Just as his predecessor John Maynard Keynes influenced every...Read More

Demographic trends and their effects on the economy are a big part of our research. We generally have a practical goal, such as estimating the demand for a company or industry’s products. However, sometimes we like to look at the long term—the extreme long term. This month we are going to take a look at...Read More

As a follow-up to my prior post on how demographics are affecting the calculus of international relations in the Middle East—and between Turkey and Israel in particular—I’d like to start with some comments from Mark Steyn. Steyn is a bit of a controversial shock jock—the Howard Stern of conservative commentary, if you will—so I hesitate...Read More

Years ago, when I was earning my master’s degree at the London School of Economics, I had a memorable conversation with a classmate of mine from Istanbul named Deniz. Over a couple beers at the Three Tuns, Deniz explained Turkey’s two most pressing problems—the rise of political Islam and the Kurdish separatist movement—and he tied...Read More