In The News

Islamic Bond Decree Cripples Sukuk, Imperils Projects

Haris Anwar September 5, 2008
Strict interpretation of Islamic law discourages interest payments associated with debt. Banks in fast-growing areas of the Middle East, like Dubai, created a special group of bonds – or sukuk market – described as Shariah-compliant, which allow payment through the exchange of assets rather than money. Bonds, as instruments of debt, raise capital and spur development of property, and unlike...

Carry On China

Nayan Chanda August 30, 2008
The decoupling theory suggests that China, in a league of its own, will expand voraciously on its own terms despite the beleaguered world economy. Although the Beijing Olympics demonstrated a superiority that supports this theory, China remains immutably linked with the world. Though China may want to remain the top global manufacturer, the nation cannot control foreign demand for manufactured...

Power-Sector Emissions of China to Top US

Steven Mufson August 28, 2008
China and India view development and growth as a path to eliminating poverty and raising living standards, and that means more power generation in both nations. This year, China’s carbon emissions will surpass those of the US for the first time, reports the Center for Global Development, a think tank based in the US that examines how policies in developed nations impact the developing world....

A Global Approach Is Needed to Beat Inflation

Adam Posen August 26, 2008
Inflation invites discontent, because wages purchase less as the prices of goods and services rise. Central bankers, including those in the US and China, should cooperate in combating inflation, urge Adam Posen and Arvind Subramanian of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in an essay for the Financial Times. By resisting tighter monetary policies and expecting other nations to...

The India-China Paradigm Is Passé

Kanika Datta August 25, 2008
The days of business nationalism are long over, including for those based in China and India, suggests Kanika Datta, writing for the Business Standard. Chinese and India businesses seek mergers and acquisitions with foreign firms to expand and deliver products and services quickly, cost-effectively and efficiently to both domestic and new markets. At times, firms venture into new territory to...

The Real China Threat

Robert J. Samuelson August 21, 2008
Raw numbers and rankings often don’t reflect momentum, motivation or method. The US frets about a rising China, but such worry is misplaced, urges Robert Samuleson in his Washington Post column. The real concern is an unstable China, along with distorted trade and ruthless competition over natural resources. “The United States has seen a prosperous global economy as a means to expanding its power...

New Energy Frontiers Expand Global Connections – Part II

Alexis Ringwald August 19, 2008
Necessity is the mother of invention, and that holds true for a global economy that depends on a declining supply of fossil fuels. As a result, innovations in new alternative sources could emerge from fast-growing developing nations that lack fossil fuels and cannot afford the rising prices, suggests this YaleGlobal series. The second article of the series focuses on trends toward renewable...