In The News

7 Reasons to Expect US Manufacturing Resurgence

Farok J. Contractor August 7, 2012
The US may be a service economy, but it’s still the world’s largest manufacturer. There are many reasons to remain bullish on US manufacturing and the American worker, suggests Farok Contractor, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School. US firms invest in high-tech equipment, and the US worker is tops in adding value per hour on products. Recent economic difficulties...

Three Myths About the Arab Uprisings

Ellen Lust and Jakob Wichmann July 24, 2012
The series of protests in 2011 that overturned governments in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have ushered in activism and new debate in the Arab world. Analyzing the reasons behind the surge of discontent requires an understanding of each nation’s history, regional relationships, demographics and governance failures. Achieving representative government and social justice is not a matter of simple...

Global Rebalancing: Now or Never

Stephen S. Roach July 19, 2012
Recent history – the Latin America debt crisis, the US subprime mortgage crisis and now the European debt crisis – offers a lesson that global imbalances are unsustainable. Lured by false promises of future growth, countries borrow big, risking prosperity and stability. Global growth is in question: Wary of debt, US consumers have tightened spending; India and China, as emerging economies, cannot...

Emerging Economies – Rich And Confident

Bruce Stokes July 12, 2012
The emerging economies account for an increasing share of the globe’s billionaires. But widespread public attitudes can wield far more influence over an economy than the wealth of a few hundred people, suggests Bruce Stokes, director of Global Economic Attitudes at the Pew Research Center in Washington. While people polled in the US and Europe are pessimistic about their future prospects,...

Eurozone Heaves Sigh of Relief – For How Long?

Jean-Pierre Lehmann July 3, 2012
The European Union’s heads of state avoided disaster for the time being, preventing impending collapse of Spanish banks and offering assistance to Italy, too. Europe has decided to move toward a more complete integration. The steps are cautious, but “the USE – United States of Europe – would seem to be the ultimate destination, in fact if not in name,” explains Jean-Pierre Lehmann. Yet nobody...

Could Europe Ruin the World Economy?

David Dapice June 19, 2012
Greek voters in parliamentary elections narrowly approved staying with the euro, but the debt crisis is far from over. Winning about 30 percent of the vote, the conservative leaders of New Democracy must build a coalition government and fend off a sizable opposition that resists austerity that was imposed as part of the bailout. Italy and Spain, heavily indebted, also test the eurozone’s...

World Expectations Lowered

Bruce Stokes June 14, 2012
US presidential campaigns often tangle over which candidate is best capable of boosting the country’s reputation abroad and providing leadership in global affairs. Trouble is, the two major political parties in the United States often don’t agree on how to achieve global respect. The diversity of global opinion based on political and cultural context does not help either. A survey of more than 26...