Simon Wilson

The Islamic Republic is a big player in regional geopolitics, but its economy is weak, its people in revolt and its enemies growing bolder. Simon Wils…

Things seemed to be turning out well for pot-heads in 2019 – and for the companies that seek to provide for their needs. Then a new, more depressing r…

Workers in France are on strike and taking to the streets to protest against President Macron’s reforms. We’ve seen this play before – but this time t…

The World Trade Organisation (WTO), which has been the final arbiter in trade disputes for decades, has been crippled by the Trump administration. Why…

Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), Mexico’s controversial president, has been in power for a year. Can he solve the country’s chronic problems and he…

Politicians seeking votes are promising ever more money for the NHS. But there may be better ways to rescue the service from its decline.

Labour has a plan to bring full-fibre broadband to all of Britain's homes and businesses. But will it work, and how much will it cost?

Austerity is officially over as both parties have outlined lavish spending plans. Overseas, too, spending and borrowing are back in fashion. Will the …

The changing political climate, particularly in the US, has put the idea of wealth taxes back on the agenda. But does this make economic sense?

Quantum supercomputers had existed only in the imaginations of physicists, but now Google says it has built one. What are the implications? Simon Wils…

Big names such as De Beers are grappling with a cyclical downturn – and a long-term challenge from artificial diamonds. It could change the market bey…

Securing unlimited clean, safe and carbon-free energy for the rest of time would be revolutionary for the world economy. Is this now within sight?

The aim of converting the European nations into a unified economic zone remains an ideal to achieve for the EU. Completing the task should be a primar…

Wind power is getting cheaper all the time, making Britain’s aim to curb carbon emissions look ever more achievable. Simon Wilson explains how we got …

A health scare has thrown doubt on the future of the industry catering for the growing numbers of “vapers”. Has Big Tobacco’s corporate strategy just …

The US dollar has dominated global trade since World War II. But the world has changed and its claim on the throne is under threat.

The US president’s idea of buying Greenland is not quite as preposterous as it might seem to modern minds, but why buy it when there are so many bette…

More than a million households and businesses were left in the dark and commuters stranded when the lights went out earlier this month. What happened?…

Fifty years ago man landed on the moon – a remarkable technological achievement that seemed to portend great changes. Those transformations didn’t com…

American technology companies make billions, yet pay pennies in tax. New levies in France and Britain seek to change that. But will they work as inten…

Our probable new prime minister wants to scrap the levy on sugary drinks introduced by some of his predecessors. Would that be a good move?

The government wants to cut the UK's greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” by the middle of the century. Is this realistic – or a staggeringly expens…

The government’s Help to Buy scheme would appear to be a great success in terms of the numbers of people it has helped to buy a property. But it has a…

Last spring’s GDPR is one of the most complex pieces of legislation the European Union has ever devised. But is it achieving what it was supposed to? 

The UK has more billion-dollar technology companies, or “unicorns”, per capita, than China has. That’s cause for celebration, but they need nurturing.

5G, the next-generation system for delivering data to mobile phones promises to be better and faster in every way. But will it change how we do things…

Inequality isn’t rising – at least not in Britain – and not in purely economic terms as measured by income. But the big picture is more complicated. S…

It was hailed by boosters as the future of work, but court rulings are increasingly throwing a spanner in the works. Is the gig over for platform prov…

Within years there may be drugs available that can slow down ageing process and keep us healthy and productive for longer. That presages a social revo…

A government mired in Brexit has failed yet again to address an increasingly serious social issue. Yet there is an obvious way forward that has worked…

Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire, thinks 12-hour work days are a “blessing”. Bertrand Russell thought four hours were plenty. Who’s right? Simon Wilso…

The world’s insect population is facing mass extinction by the end of the century, according to some experts. That would have catastrophic implication…

Drier summers and a rapidly growing population mean parts of Britain will run out of water in 25 years. What can we do about it, and how much would it…

In 2015, the 1979 policy allowing couples to only have one child was reversed. But the birth rate has continued to fall, which bodes ill for the econo…

Tax havens have come under scrutiny as governments scramble to fill their coffers. What, if anything, should be done about them? Simon Wilson reports.

Data on the gender pay gap would suggest that they are. Does that mean sexism is rife in British society? It’s not quite as simple as that, says Simon…