In The News

Project Syndicate: Explaining Global Recovery Amid Political Recession

Michael Spence August 4, 2017
A disconnect between political dysfunction and strong economies is disconcerting. Michael Spence, Nobel laureate in economics, suggests the global economy may not be reaching its full potential. “Leaders in Europe, as well as in a number of emerging economies, have now concluded that both the UK and the US are unpredictable and unreliable allies and trading partners,” explains Spence. “Asia, with...

Spiegel Online: Only Radical Thinking and Action Can Tame Globalization

Alexander Jung July 8, 2017
A growing global economy expanded the middle class and wealth for many nations that were once poor. That is of little comfort to the 800 million people who live in extreme poverty. Widening inequality and climate change are serious threats. “The G-20 nations represent two-thirds of the global population, just over three-quarters of its economic output and four-fifths of its greenhouse gas...

Reuters: Closer Hong Kong, China Ties Create Corporate Governance Challenges

Michelle Price July 4, 2017
The long-term sustainability of “two systems” for one country – China and Hong Kong – was always in question, especially as the two markets have increasingly integrated. A rout in small-cap stocks may signal concerns about financial regulatoin, explains Michelle Price for Reuters. “The sell-off has raised questions over Hong Kong's ability to enforce its rules, as the territory's...

The Diplomat: It’s Good to Be the Tatmadaw

Ben Dunant May 24, 2017
The 2015 general election in Myanmar marked a critical transition to democracy from military rule, when the people elected Aung San Suu Kyi in the first openly-contested election in a quarter-century. However, the military, known as the Tatmadaw in Burmese, still controls much of the country’s economy and political discourse. The Tatmadaw’s commander-in-chief helms three key security ministries,...

The Guardian: Report Says Foreign States May Have Interfered in Brexit Vote

Rajeev Syal April 12, 2017
A British parliamentary committee report suggests that “Foreign governments such as Russia and China may have been involved in the collapse of a voter registration website in the run-up to the EU referendum,” Rajeev Syal reports for the Guardian and describes a denial-of-services attack. “The committee does not identify who may have been responsible, but has noted that both Russia and China use...

Scout: The Rise of the Weaponized AI Propaganda Machine

Berit Anderson and Brett Horvath April 5, 2017
Stories are always at risk for manipulation, but technology can now analyze and recruit individuals to unwittingly promote specific, even false, ideas. Berit Anderson and Brett Horvath, writing for Scout, argue the challenge is larger than fake news. Big data analysis, surveillance, AI, programmed bots, Facebook posts, sophisticated behavior assessments, computational psychology and fake news...

Project Syndicate: Illiberal Stagnation

Joseph Stiglitz April 4, 2017
Authoritarian leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin argue that their style of governance is pragmatic and sure. But stifling dissent and encouraging nationalism fail to contribute to market certainty, innovation and long-term prosperity, argues economist Joseph Stiglitz. He runs through Russia’s statistics – a GDP that is just 40 percent of Germany’s with life expectancy at birth ranked at...