The Economist has traditionally and historically persisted in referring to itself as a "newspaper", rather than a "news magazine" due to its mostly cosmetic switch from broadsheet to perfect-binding format and its general focus on current affairs as opposed to specialist subjects.

The magazine says the ads aim to present arguments for and against each issue, and have been created to highlight the key qualities of The Economist's editorial: agenda-setting, constantly surprising and tested through analysis and continuous debate.

So although its credo and its history are as rich as that of any reactionary or revolutionary, The Economist has no permanent address on the left-right scale. In most countries, the political divide is conservative-egalitarian, not liberal-illiberal. So it has no party allegiance, either.

Economic liberalism opposes government intervention in the economy when it leads to inefficient outcomes. They are supportive of a strong state that protects the right to property and enforces contracts. They may also support government interventions to resolve market failures.

Digital + Print

• Access to The Economist website.
• The Economist app - in-depth global analysis.
• Espresso app - daily global updates.
• The digital archive - a 25-year resource of news and analysis.
• The World in Brief - updated daily.
• Podcasts and narrated articles.
• Exclusive tailored newsletters.
• Live virtual events.

Like many newspapers, The Economist uses its pages to endorse candidates and parties ahead of major elections.

If you're interested in such news but your life does not depend on it, then subscribe only to The Economist, for the Cosmic View. To use a flawed analogy, the Journal is the weather, The Economist the climate.

We determined that there was a 60-40 liberal-conservative split among the economists in our data. We found a surprising divide in the political leanings of this sample of economists: About 80 percent of contributions went to liberal campaigns while 66 percent of signatures were on right-leaning petitions.

Democrats support a more progressive tax structure to provide more services and reduce economic inequality by making sure that the wealthiest Americans pay the highest tax rate. They also support more government spending on social services while spending less on the military.

Major themes

• believing in equality and individual liberty.
• supporting private property and individual rights.
• supporting the idea of limited constitutional government.
• recognising the importance of related values such as pluralism, toleration, autonomy, bodily integrity, and consent.

Final thoughts. While The Economist isn't a cheap publication, it's packed with value and information that could be useful to any investor. You can check out an occasional article online but eventually will have to pay for additional articles.

We understand that an increase to any product is unwelcome, but we don't increase the price of our subscriptions without real consideration. This change reflects the continued investment in our journalism and products to make The Economist even more valuable to you, and the realities of the changing economic climate.