In The News

One Country, Many Voices

Jeffrey Wasserstrom September 24, 2012
China under one-party rule fosters an image of harmony, with unified goals and opinion on any cultural event or political issue. Discussions of the same topics are more lively in online commentary and on China’s streets, argues Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chinese specialist and author. He compares the sensational, perfectly choreographed opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with recent angry...

Reform Sprouts in North Korea?

John Delury July 26, 2012
North Korea, among the world’s most secretive, isolated and impoverished countries, is led by the world’s youngest head of state. Analysts are uncertain about many details of Kim Jong Un’s life, including his age or the extent of his education with a stint in Switzerland. Since taking power in April, the young leader has taken steps to transform his nation: dismissing the country’s top military...

Children of China's Future – Part I

Pallavi Aiyar March 12, 2012
In societies with greater equality, rich or poor, social cohesion often remains strong with opportunities shared. But societies with greater inequality can anticipate more health problems, discontent and corruption. As a nation’s inequality widens, early warning signs are often apparent among children. This YaleGlobal series analyzes widening inequality in China and its effects on children. China...

Childless by Choice

Joseph Chamie and Barry Mirkin March 2, 2012
Around the globe, more women and men are delaying childbirth, with many deciding against having children altogether. Economic recession, high unemployment rates, education and career ambitions contribute to the phenomenon. Among most developed nations, one in 10 women in their late 40s have no children, and in Italy and Switzerland, the childlessness rate approaches one in four women. The...

Through the Eyes of Asia’s Tiger Cubs

Mark L. Clifford February 20, 2012
Asia’s post–Cold War generation of young professionals have a decidedly optimistic outlook on the future – as revealed by the Asia’s Challenge 2020 essay competion organized by the Asia Business Council, Time magazine and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Mark L. Clifford, executive director of the Hong Kong-based Asia Business Council, co-authored...

China: Hard Power at Home, Soft Power Abroad

Frank Ching February 8, 2012
China’s hard-edged regime, struggling to wield soft power, is concerned by the dominating influence of Western media and culture. China’s government is taking steps to remedy the problem, explains journalist Frank Ching. One success story is the establishment of more than 300 Confucius Institutes, many linked with universities, teaching Chinese language and culture in nearly 100 countries....

The New Future of Old Age

Peter W. Gallagher December 29, 2011
The average human’s life expectancy has stretched to seven decades. But seven decades of life was not so unusual for some pre-modern groups as well. “It turns out that settlement, especially urban living, was toxic,” writes Peter Gallagher for Policy Magazine. “The rapid recovery in life expectancy after the mid-nineteenth century may be the greatest humanitarian achievement of the industrial era...