Many governments talk about cutting regulation but few manage to
Yet radical deregulation is often a big boost to growth
He brandished a chainsaw at campaign rallies, to signify his eagerness to clear-cut the thickets of bureaucracy and regulation impeding the economy’s progress. Perhaps more strikingly, he has actually lived up to this act. In November Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, told The Economist he had already taken 800 steps to reduce red tape and planned 3,200 more such “structural reforms”.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Rule-breakers”
From the February 1st 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
An unrestrained Israel is reshaping the Middle East
Its quest for hegemony will strain domestic cohesion and foreign alliances
Dreams of improving the human race are no longer science fiction
But the “enhancement” industry is still hobbled by out-of-date regulation
If it comes to a stand-off, Europe has leverage over America
But pulling some of those levers would be so damaging as to make them unusable
Syria has got rid of Bashar al-Assad, but not sectarian tensions
Its new rulers seem torn between reassuring minorities and appeasing their jihadist base
Syria’s economy, still strangled by sanctions, is on its knees
It will not improve until they are lifted
The transactional world Donald Trump seeks would harm not help America
Ukraine, Gaza and China will all test his self-interested approach to diplomacy