In The News

India Should Combine Tough Climate Stand With Green Policy

Nandan Nilekani July 2, 2009
The upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen in December poses some challenging, but not insurmountable problems for the Indian government. Co-Chairman of Infosys Technologies Ltd, Nandan Nilekani explains that India needs to engage actively in the climate debate, not only because India is likely to be one of the countries most affected by climate change, but also because it will enable India to...

Zimbabwe’s Slow-Burning Crisis Could Affect Africa

Donald Steinberg June 30, 2009
Zimbabwe was in world headlines when its opposition politician Morgan Tsvangirai was mercilessly beaten by government thugs. But now his joining a unity government has pushed the country to the background, even though Zimbabwe remains in dire straits. Deputy President of the International Crisis Group, Donald Steinberg analyzes the reasons for this lack of interest and argues that paying...

Asia Will Struggle to Escape Its Export Trap

David Pilling June 29, 2009
Despite much talk of a rising middle class that can support domestic growth, Asia’s dependence on exports has increased, not fallen. Although interregional trade has risen, most of it is in components, with the finished goods destined for the US and Europe. And in China, personal consumption as a percentage of GDP has actually shrunk. Indeed, as one expert argues, export economies are set up to...

Fading of the Dollar’s Dominance

Anthony Faiola June 26, 2009
A number of experts believe the US dollar is unlikely to retain its title as the world’s reserve currency due to structural changes in the global economy and the mounting US deficit. For instance, China appears to be taking a stronger stance on the yuan’s global role, though the currency remains relatively unusable in large international transactions. Meanwhile the International Monetary Fund is...

The China Barrier

Nayan Chanda June 26, 2009
In the world of ideas, globalization inhabits a happy realm where goods, capital, and people flow freely, guided by the over-arching force of utility maximization. But the real world is much more jagged. Labor flows face consistently higher friction than idealized. And capital, when supplied by a government-owned corporation, has also faced substantial roadblocks. While the reasons oft-cited for...

From General to Government Motors: Can GM Return to its Former Glory?

William J. Holstein June 25, 2009
The tale of General Motors may provide the inspiration for many a business parable. But according to author William J. Holstein, GM’s downfall started in the 1980s when the company failed to view as credible the threat of Japanese automakers and the tectonic shift in auto production to lean manufacturing. Couple this with outsized medical benefits for current and retired employees and a...

Can Governments Till The Fields Of Innovation?

Steve Lohr June 24, 2009
Innovation has long been seen as the product of hard work, luck, belonging to the private sector. But governments around the world are now trying to accelerate and influence domestic innovation. Several countries now have governmental leaders or even whole departments designed to spur growth through innovation. Much of the governments’ presence in the field of innovation deals with attempting to...