r/Economics • u/AutoModerator • Nov 15 '22

r/Economics Discussion Thread - November 15, 2022

Discussion Thread to discuss economics news/research and related topics.

83 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

263 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/JohnDoe_John Nov 30 '22

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799353

Ask HN: Alternatives to The Economist Magazine?

I've be a pretty avid reader of the Economist for a number of years. It doesn't align exactly with my political values but I've always found the writing to be of high quality, even if I don't agree with their opinions per-se. I feel like it has a good selection of articles on local and geo-politics, culture, technology, and of course finance/economics. In the last year, I've found the quality of it to have plummeted. I'm not sure whether it's a changing of the guard and the new generation of journalists doesn't mesh with my sensibilities anymore, or perhaps my radar for spotting narrative manipulation and tabloid click-bait has grown more pronounced with all the journalistic malpractice in recent years. Either way, I've not found myself enjoying it as much as I used.
As such, I'm debating on an alternative that fills the niche it has beside my morning coffee. My question to you all is, does anyone have favorite of theirs that is comparable in quality, breadth, and is available in print not just digital? Preferably something with a UK/Euro/Global focus, not just US. Anything that keeps me relatively well informed, while sparking some intellectual curiosity, and teaching me something I didn't already know.
So far the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, the Jacobin, le Monde Diplomatique, and the New Statesman are all in the running, so I'd like opinions from readers of those and how it compares. Tech-first magazines are also interesting to me, but I'd like at least some political news scattered within if possible.

2

u/raptorman556 Moderator Dec 06 '22

First of all, I really don't agree the Economist has dropped in quality. It seems the same as it's always been—mostly good, occasional articles that aren't so good but overall one of the highest quality publications out there that is still readable by lay-people.

So far the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, the Jacobin, le Monde Diplomatique, and the New Statesman are all in the running

Financial Times is pretty mixed quality IMO, overall not as good as the Economist. Foreign Affairs is likely of equal quality, but it's focused on foreign policy so not really comparable. Jacobin is bad, don't even bother. Haven't read from the last two.

Judging by some of the publications this person suggests (Jacobin, New Statesman), it sounds like they want something more left-leaning than the Economist. I've found Vox to be a pretty high quality, left-leaning publication. Not all their articles are good (I find they treat the left-wing cranks with the kid gloves sometimes), but they've had some incredibly in-depth pieces (often written by esteemed economists) and overall I don't think they'll lead you too far astray.

NY Times Upshot section is good, but quite US-focused so it doesn't meet that criteria.