How the West fell out of love with economic growth
A serious, slow-burning malaise
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20221217_FND001.jpg)
This year has been a good one for the West. The alliance has surprised observers with its united front against Russian aggression. As authoritarian China suffers one of its weakest periods of growth since Chairman Mao, the American economy roars along. A wave of populism across rich countries, which began in 2016 with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, looks as if it may have crested.
This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “First-world problems”
Finance & economics December 17th 2022
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