About The Variables
An independent publication of data-driven analysis.
What this is
The Variables publishes analysis of economics, politics, technology, science, and society. Articles are built on data: figures with named sources, and research that can be checked.
Who writes here
Articles are written by invited authors. Each author is carefully selected. Every article is reviewed before it is published.
How we work
Claims carry sources. Figures are cited where they appear, and references are listed at the end of each article. Corrections are made in the article itself, with a note describing the change. Every article page has a link for reporting errors.
The name
A variable is a quantity that changes, and its changes move other things. A single variable represents only one aspect of reality; summing them lets us read the variables together, which gives a clearer picture than reading them alone.
Languages
The site reads in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. The author chooses the language they write in; translations are then drafted with machine assistance and reviewed by a person before publication. Readers can take a piece in its original language or in translation.
- English
- Français
- Español
- العربية
Editorial standards
Sourcing
Every claim that can be sourced carries its source. Figures are cited where they appear rather than in a note at the end, and references are listed at the foot of each article. Primary data and published research come before commentary. Where a figure is an estimate, the article says so and says whose estimate it is.
Analysis and opinion
Most pieces are analysis: an argument built from evidence, where a reader who disagrees can check the same numbers. Where a piece is the author's opinion, it is labelled as opinion on the page rather than left for the reader to infer. The difference is not strength of feeling. A piece can reach a firm conclusion and still be analysis; what makes it opinion is that its case rests on a judgement the evidence cannot settle.
Review
Every article is read by an editor before it is published. No piece goes up because its author decided it was ready. Review covers the argument, the sourcing, and the figures, not only the prose. An editor who cannot check a figure asks the author for the source rather than publishing around it.
Corrections and errors
An error is fixed in the article itself, and the article carries an “Updated” note saying what changed and when. A correction that changes the conclusion of a piece says so in the note rather than leaving it in the body to be found, and typographical fixes are made without a note, because a note on every comma would make the real ones invisible. Every article page carries a link for reporting an error, and it reaches the editors directly. Every report is read, including the ones that turn out to be wrong, and a reader who caught a figure is named in the correction if they want to be.
Independence
The Variables takes no payment for coverage, and no piece is written or shaped in exchange for money or access. There is no sponsored content and there are no advertisers to accommodate. Where an author has an interest in what they are writing about, the piece names it.
Language models
Language models assist with translation and with mechanical drafting tasks, under human review. No article is machine-generated, and nothing a model produces reaches a reader unread. Each translated article names the language it was written in, so a reader always knows whether they are reading the original.