Economics
The forces behind inflation, growth, debt, trade, employment and the decisions that shape economies.
Independent research media
The Vineyard Lens
Stories. Systems. Data.
Economics, finance and markets explored through research, data and storytelling.
We start with interesting questions, follow the evidence and explain what sits beneath the headlines.
01 / Current investigation
Now researching
Who Actually Owns Britain's National Debt — and When Does It Become a Problem?
Our first flagship investigation examines how Britain borrows, who holds government debt, where the interest goes, and what the evidence can actually tell us about when debt becomes a risk.
- Government debt
- Gilts
- Bond markets
- Fiscal policy
- Monetary policy
Flagship investigation · In research · September 2026
02 / Explore
What we explore
From everyday economic decisions to the systems that move global markets.
Financial Markets
How bonds, equities, banks, funds and financial infrastructure actually work.
Business
The economics behind companies, industries, business models and competitive advantage.
Economic History
Booms, busts, crises and financial events — and what they can teach us today.
Data & Evidence
Testing economic claims using public data, primary sources and transparent analysis.
03 / Publish
Three ways we explore a question
Deep · Research-led · Documentary
Investigations
Deep research into important economic, financial and business questions — bringing together evidence, data, history and competing perspectives.
Focused · Visual · Understandable
Explainers
Clear explanations of the mechanisms underneath markets and economies — from government bonds to market makers.
Quick · Curious · Useful
Curiosities
Short answers to the small questions that make you stop and ask: why does that happen?
04 / Approach
How we approach a story
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01
Start with a question
We begin with something worth understanding rather than a conclusion we want to prove.
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02
Follow the evidence
Primary sources, public data and serious research come before commentary.
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03
Separate fact from interpretation
What the evidence establishes and what we think it means are not always the same thing.
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04
Make complexity understandable
Good research is only useful if people can understand it.
05 / Follow
Follow The Vineyard Lens
New investigations, explainers and economic curiosities are on the way.
The research library is coming with our first flagship investigation — with articles, sources, charts and data behind the work.