In The News

South Africa’s World Cup Advice to Brazil

Andrew Harding July 2, 2014
Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, FIFA made enticing promises to the locals in South Africa. Four years later, many locals found the $2 billion dollars in infrastructure investment did not benefit South Africans. Construction was accelerated on the Gautrain train¬ – a high speed railway connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria – but its prices are out of reach for most South Africans. “Following the...

The New Casinos – Emerging Markets

Anthony Rowley July 1, 2014
Financial analysts tout the potential of emerging economies for growth and wealth creation. While progress cannot be denied, the physical, institutional and financial infrastructures of many nations remain relatively weak, explains author and editor Anthony Rowley. He describes how Wall Street relabeled about 70 developing nations, once known “third world” or “basket cases,” as “emerging markets...

Modi Doubles Down on the Neighborhood

Alyssa Ayres June 10, 2014
In anticipating India's foreign policy under newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many have focused on his pragmatic growth policy based on international trade and investment while wondering if he would first turn to East Asia. Early signals suggest that Modi will focus on building closer ties in the immediate region – with other member states of the South Asian Association of...

China Trades Up in Latin America

Jill Richardson June 6, 2014
Since 2000, China has become a strategic economic actor in Latin America, the top trader for Brazil, Chile and Peru. Chinese exports to Latin America have grown in volume and valuation, especially in manufacturing and electronics, but China’s huge influence comes with a cost, including volatility in the commodities markets, reports Jill Richardson for Foreign Policy in Focus. China’s trading...

Timor-Leste: Lessons of a Failing State?

Loro Horta May 22, 2014
Timor-Leste shares the island of Timor and a bloody history with Indonesia. The former Portuguese colony was part of Indonesia from 1976 until 2002, when it was declared an independent state. The country’s small population is less than half of 1 percent of that in neighboring Indonesia, and one quarter died in fighting for independence. Despite great natural resources, the country has since...

Profitable Development Solutions: How the Private Sector Can Contribute to the Post-2015 Agenda

Laurence Chandy, Kemal Derviş, George Ingram, Homi Kharas and Steven Rocker May 1, 2014
The United Nations posed eight millennium goals, including elimination of extreme poverty. Progress has been made, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a meeting in August 2013 to analyze how to achieve that goal by 2030. The Brookings Institution offers a special report on the meeting with focus on better coordination of private and public funding for development aid: “the developing...

Europe Flood Losses to "Increase Fourfold" by 2050

Matt McGrath March 5, 2014
Forecasting models predict flood damage losses could increase fourfold for Europe by 2050. Governments are not engaging in adequate planning. “The scientists believe that the continent's annual flood costs may be 23.5bn euros by the middle of the century,” reports Matt McGrath for BBC News. “Two-thirds of the projected increase in flood damage will be caused by human development, not climate...