Section

Deep Dives

In-depth reporting and explainers on the ideas, institutions, and forces shaping everyday life.

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A cross-country train in gouache style with three small ticket stubs and one long through ticket floating above the carriage

Deep Dive

Why the Same Train Journey Costs Less as Three Tickets Than One

Every station pair has its own price, the through ticket is a separate product, and ticket sellers are steered to quote the expensive journey unless you ask for the cheaper combination.

Yasmin Ali Oct 8, 2026

Eight council tax band letters A through H beside a house silhouette priced on a 1991 calendar page

Deep Dive

Why England's Council Tax Bands Still Stop at 1991 House Prices

Wales revalued once and a third of homes jumped bands; Westminster froze England's list and rewrote the law so ministers never have to try again.

Margaret Hale Sep 29, 2026

Deep Dives from around the world

Deep Dive

Why Singapore's Electricity Tariff Still Tracks Fuel Oil Every Quarter

Marcus Goh Oct 12, 2026Singapore

Editorial gouache illustration of a printed Commonwealth gazette notice marked 1 June beside a laptop screen showing a HELP debt balance line item.

Deep Dive

Why Your HECS Debt Rises on June 1 Before Your Payslip Pays It Down

Bridie McKenzie Oct 10, 2026Australia

Editorial gouache scene of a blue domestic LPG cylinder in a Delhi kitchen, with faint ghost of an LPG tanker and dollar-to-rupee arrows in the background

Deep Dive

Why Your LPG Cylinder Price Is Set in Riyadh Before It Is Set in Delhi

Arjun Mehta अर्जुन मेहता Oct 10, 2026India

Editorial gouache illustration of a Korean apartment mailbox with electric bill envelopes sticking out

Deep Dive

Why the Last Kilowatt-Hour on a Korean Summer Bill Costs More Than Twice the First

Haeun Song 송하은 Oct 9, 2026South Korea

Expressway toll plaza with an ETC gate and distant cable-stayed bridge over water

Deep Dive

Why Japan's Expressway Tolls Still Pay Off a Debt From the 1970s

Kenji Watanabe 渡辺健二 Oct 7, 2026Japan

National land ledgers and cadastral maps on a finance ministry desk with two different total values circled

Deep Dive

Why Taiwan Taxes Homes Using a Land Value Far Below the Sale Price

Chia-Ming Chen 陳家明 Oct 5, 2026Taiwan

Grocery deli rotisserie chickens under heat lamps beside raw packaged poultry

Deep Dive

Why SNAP Won't Buy the Rotisserie Chicken Sitting Next to the Raw Bird

Sarah Johnson Oct 4, 2026United States

An editorial cutaway of a car purchase folder opened on a desk: one sheet labelled COE with a ten-year timeline, another sheet showing a vehicle silhouette, no readable logos or currency figures.

Deep Dive

Why the Certificate of Entitlement Can Cost More Than the Car

Marcus Goh Oct 3, 2026Singapore

Editorial illustration of an ambulance at a hospital emergency entrance with a Medicare card shown crossed out on a fee invoice

Deep Dive

Why Medicare Won't Pay for Your Ambulance Bill

Connor Blake Oct 2, 2026Australia

Rajdhani Express coach at a platform, passengers with luggage waiting beside a digital fare board

Deep Dive

Why IRCTC Charges More the Later You Book a Sleeper Berth

Farhan Malik فرحان ملک Oct 1, 2026India

Korean apartment lease with lump-sum jeonse deposit stack and blank monthly rent calendar

Deep Dive

Why Korea Still Rents With Lump-Sum Deposits the Size of a Home Loan

Minseo Park 박민서 Sep 30, 2026South Korea

Cutaway of a wooden Japanese house with land valued separately from a building value written down to zero on a tax schedule

Deep Dive

Why a Sound Japanese House Can Be Worth ¥0 as Collateral

Kenji Watanabe 渡辺健二 Sep 28, 2026Japan