About MacroScribbles

Data-driven research that joins multiple global datasets to tell stories the raw numbers alone can't.

MacroScribbles is an independent research platform focused on the big questions in economics, development, and geopolitics — backed by data, not talking points.

The world has no shortage of data. The World Bank publishes thousands of indicators. The UN tracks population projections for every country. The IMF releases fiscal outlooks quarterly. But the interesting questions almost always live at the intersection of these sources — and almost nobody does the work of joining them together.

That's what we do here. We pull from multiple global datasets, combine them, and publish original findings with interactive charts. The kind of analysis that usually requires downloading half a dozen spreadsheets and spending a weekend in Excel.

What we cover

Our research spans six areas:

  • Energy & Climate — the tension between development and sustainability, who's actually decarbonizing, and who's just talking about it
  • Trade & Globalization — supply chain concentration, South-South trade, the real cost of "decoupling"
  • Fiscal & Debt — sovereign debt trajectories, military vs. social spending, the quiet fiscal crises nobody covers
  • Demographics — aging societies, brain drain, the demographic dividend some countries are wasting
  • Governance — what the corruption and governance data actually say, and why "resource curse" isn't just a theory
  • Health & Development — where health spending translates to outcomes and where it doesn't, child survival, education gaps

How the site works

Research articles are the core of the site. Each one poses a question, pulls data from multiple sources, and walks through the findings with interactive charts. The data drives the narrative — not the other way around.

Explainers break down concepts you'll encounter in the research: what the current account actually measures, why bilateral trade deficits are a misleading metric, how inflation indices work. Think of them as the reference shelf.

You can also browse by topic to dive deep into an area that interests you.

A note on what this isn't

Nothing published here is financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. This is research and commentary. We aim to be rigorous with the data and honest about what it shows — but we're not pretending to be neutral. When the numbers point somewhere uncomfortable, we'll say so. Use your own judgment.