The Civil Servant Who Actually Runs Trade Policy
Ministers make the announcements; a small, largely anonymous layer of career officials makes the decisions that stick.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read
The Hidden Balance Sheet of France's Urban Startup Bet
Beyond funding and mentorship, urban-transition programs offer founders something rarer: a real-world testing ground where public infrastructure meets private innovation.
By Manon Vasseur · 3 min read
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No, Electric Vehicles Do Not 'Emit More Than Diesel' Over Their Lifetime
The claim resurfaces with every major EV policy announcement, and it consistently misreads the evidence it pretends to cite.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read
The Return of Industrial Policy, and What It Quietly Walked Back In
Governments rediscovering the power of the state to direct investment have also, less visibly, rediscovered its power to pick winners.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read
Groundwater Is Disappearing, and Most Water Policy Ignores It
The world's most important water source sits below the debate entirely, invisible, unregulated, and running low.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read
How 'Efficiency' Became the Word That Ends Conversations
Efficiency is the policy world's most powerful rhetorical move, because it sounds technical, neutral, and beyond argument, and is usually none of those things.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read
The '8 Glasses of Water a Day' Rule Has No Scientific Basis
One of the most repeated health recommendations in the world appears to trace back to a misreading, a rounding error, and decades of unquestioned repetition.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read
Maintenance Is the Infrastructure Spending Nobody Wants to Fund
Every ribbon-cutting conceals a balance sheet of deferred repairs, and deferred repairs have a way of becoming very expensive emergencies.
By Manon Vasseur · 2 min read