But as a generalisation, the efforts of the past few years have thrown up mixed messages.

ECONOMIST: Economics and the rule of law

Lord Razzall, chairman of the Liberal Democrat general election campaign, described Mr Clarke's statement as a "surprising generalisation".

BBC: Minister attacks Lib Dem 'charlatans'

Ngai Tahu chairman Mark Solomon described Dame Kiri's remarks as an unfair generalisation.

BBC: Dame Kiri remarks strike sour note

And the book's central term jihad is also in the end a rather-too-convenient shorthand, one that cannot altogether bear the weight of generalisation placed upon it.

ECONOMIST: Jihadists

In doing so, Mr Mehta paints a picture of an India that is so vast, complex and confusing as to defy generalisation, and facing such a terrifying array of problems that it forbids optimism.

ECONOMIST: India

This is a careless and damaging generalisation.

ECONOMIST: Simple answers

At a seminar once, I remember hearing him make the generalisation that monetary policy is easy only when the prices of assets are rising faster than the prices of the goods they produce (when the real return to holding assets is positive).

ECONOMIST: Letters: On fracking, robots, gun laws, the music industry, education, Milton Friedman, plurals, academic publishing, Kim Jong Un's wife | The