Social protection is typically an issue of nation-state policy-making. There are good reasons to consider supranational approaches however.

India is witnessing nation-wide protests. According to media reports, at least two dozen people have been killed, and even though rallies have been forbidden in many places, people are still taking to the streets to express their anger about a law reform that discriminates against Muslims. They want India's secular constitution to be upheld.

As I argued in a blog post last week, the climate crisis is increasingly marking economies around the world. Least developed countries, such as Mozambique or Bangladesh, are probably most exposed, but California with its wildfires is increasingly becoming symbolic. Yes, I agree, people in poor countries deserve more attention for their suffering than they are getting, and global media have a tendency of paying too much attention to rich nations. What may be more important, however, is that central banks and other policymaking bodies must pay attention to growing environmental hazards.

The London-based magazine The Economist still believes there are two different Narendra Modis, and hopes that India’s prime minister will finally live up to his reformer image, backing away from authoritarian Hindu supremacism. The depressing truth is that his track record already reveals who he really is: a divisive right-wing populist. The Economist is guilty of wishful thinking because it fails to consider properly the aggressive ideology that marks the political network that created Modi.