Policy

The EU can afford to wait, but China cannot German auto troubles have hardened Europe’s stance Europe now builds leverage through new trade routes and partners In 2024, the European Union ran a €304.5 billion goods defic

Eurozone heterogeneity warps school budgets and learning PISA gaps and uneven rate pass-through show one-size-fits-all reforms fail Index funding to local prices, tier pay and pathways, add cushions, and scale proven pilots

Digital ad tax won’t make users subscribe; costs are passed to advertisers and small creators Keep ads, but ring-fence a low levy to fund open education and shield SMEs with ad-credit rebates Add transparency, data portability, and a public-interest ad exchange to shift power without paywalls

European scholar networks lift collaboration and raise median quality U.S.

Coercion hardens Taiwan’s views; education diplomacy builds trust Extend China’s regional magnanimity to Taiwan with visas, credit recognition, scholarships, and joint labs Protect academic freedom, track mobility and co-production, and scale successes to shift opinion

Takaichi’s rise is a pragmatic bet, not a protest vote Shrinking cohorts demand an education reset—protect funding, cut teacher overload, use AI with guardrails Judge success by delivery: fair consolidation and measurable gains in teacher time

Higher education now behaves like a market good, and price signals matter Governments should fund fewer, stronger universities and tie money to outcomes Demographic decline demands ruthless quality control, clear labeling, and real bridges to opportunity

China is accelerating BRI investment and pushing CPEC into Afghanistan India needs a dual anchor: Russian channels for access; US–EU scale for finance and standards Keep a compliant Chabahar link and build skills-led corridors to retain leverage in Kabul

Childcare subsidies alone haven’t raised births in Korea, Japan, or China The binding constraint is marriage risk—up-front costs and divorce/career exposure De-risk marriage with clear legal defaults, lower entry costs, and work guarantees

A 55% China tariff is rerouting supply chains toward ASEAN ASEAN can seize a third path by treating skills as trade infrastructure Bind investment to portable credentials and cross-border training to grow without picking sides On

Security and economics in Asia-Pacific have fused Alliances are uneven across the region Education must lead a balanced third path Asia-Pacific security economics has shifted from a background issue to a driving force.

AI shifts tasks across borders rather than causing mass layoffs Southeast Asia absorbs more of this work thanks to digital capacity and wages Skills, standards, and cross-border partnerships turn the shift into shared gains

Japan–China relations now shape Japan’s classrooms and campuses Low public trust and export controls tighten research and admissions Universities should segment risk, diversify enrollment, and teach geo-literacy Thirteen perce

China wins on speed and scale; the EU Global Gateway must answer with reliability and skills Education, maintenance, and transparent contracts should drive projects to deliver uptime, not just assets With faster procurement and pay-for-performance finance, Europe can win trust without matching China’s spending

European economics journals reform must reward method and openness over brand prestige Tie hiring and grants to reproducibility—open code, preregistration, independent replications Build EU benchmarks and nimble society journals so reliable work earns global reach

Tariffs with India, Korea, and Switzerland endanger student mobility and research in the learning economy Trade deals must lock in visa certainty, protected lab inputs, and joint research Bake education into trade to keep talent flowing and innovation alive

Fertility is falling because systems and costs—not desire—make second births hard Peer competition magnifies housing, childcare, and career penalties into a one-child arms race Cap childcare, decouple school access, expand father leave

Media-driven memory politics outpaces classroom teaching in East Asia Cross-border, source-based history lessons can counter quick nationalist swings Schools must prime students before flashpoints to cool future conflicts

Taiwan’s nuclear referendum failed due to low turnout, not a lack of support Its grid now relies more heavily on costly imported gas A balanced mix with renewables, storage, and a safety-vetted nuclear option is vital Taiwan recent

Vietnam’s public sector still drives too much of the economy, squeezing buffers and deterring investors Korean firms are diversifying as energy shortages, tariff shocks, and policy delays raise risk Cutting state dependence and upgrading power and skills can keep capital anchored