In The News

Project Syndicate: Will Economic Illiteracy Trigger a Trade War?

Jeffrey D. Sachs April 28, 2017
An introduction to economics defines a nation’s deficit or surplus – “The current-account balance, measuring the balance of trade in goods, services, net factor income, and transfer payments from abroad, is equal to national saving minus domestic investment.” The Trump administration is mistaken about the source of the US deficit, overlooking the low US rate of saving and instead blaming Germany...

Stratfor: Changing the Scientific Climate in the United States

April 26, 2017
Throughout history, experimentation and science have delivered comfort and prosperity – electricity, road and air transportation, cures for disease, satellites and weather forecasting, communication technologies and more. US scientists are alarmed by political leaders who reject policy recommendations based on evidence – notably the near unanimous agreement among climate scientists that reliance...

Financial Times: Ideological Purge for China Universities

Emily Feng April 25, 2017
Societies invest in education for jobs, innovations, creativity and prosperity. Western universities, a tremendous source of soft power, attract students from around the world. Recognizing the value of cross-border learning, universities in China organized joint programs with foreign institutions. But the strongest education programs engage in critical thinking and that challenges ideology. China...

The Diplomat: British Trainers Quietly Help Shape North Korean Education

Charlotte Fitzek April 14, 2017
Education in any topic and choices made by teachers can transform attitudes over time. For 17 years, the British Council has run an English Language Teacher Training Program in North Korea. “Against all odds, this program has grown,” including teachers outside of Pyongyang, and focusing on “best practices and methodology,” notes Charlotte Fitzek for the Diplomat. The project – one of the few...

NYT: Charity Closes India Operations Amid Crackdown

Ellen Barry and Suhasini Raj March 27, 2017
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected as a Hindu nationalist, has worked to rigorously enforce a law that regulates use of foreign aid in the country. The government has canceled the registration of more than 11,000 NGOs since Modi took office in 2014. One prominent charity, Compassion International, is locked in a legal battle with the state. Compassion International is a Colorado-based...

The New York Times: Amid “Trump Effect” Fear, 40 Percent of Colleges See Dip in Foreign Applicants

Stephanie Saul March 20, 2017
US colleges and universities are a leading source of US soft power, attracting diverse faculty and student talent from around the globe. Recent and potential applicants to US colleges are expressing concern about xenophobic, nationalistic and isolationist attitudes that emerged soon after Donald Trump declared his candidacy for the US presidency and then won. “Nearly 40 percent of colleges are...

Wall Street Journal: China Draws More Students Back From Abroad

Te-Ping Chen March 2, 2017
More than 500,000 Chinese students studied at foreign universities in 2015 with the United States as the most popular destination followed by the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. “A rise in incomes and frustration with China’s ultracompetitive education system produced a study-abroad fervor of historic proportions,” reports Te-Ping Chen for the Wall Street Journal. “In recent years, around...