In The News

Beginning of the End for Washington

Ron Fournier October 1, 2013
Unable to agree on a spending bill, the US legislature has orchestrated a partial shutdown for US government operations. A minority group in the US House of Representatives is demanding a delay in implementing a health care law in exchange for its approval of the spending bill. The legislative impasse undermines US citizen confidence in government, and could be a defining moment for young voters...

Labor Pains

Nayan Chanda September 30, 2013
Good intentions can go awry if they don’t tackle a problem’s roots and long-term conditions. India has launched an ambitious program to feed its poorest citizens, but the costly program will require tax revenue from working citizens, explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal’s editor, in his column for Businessworld. Instead of developing intricate subsidy programs, he urges that India tackle inequality...

Bo Xilai Conviction Will Do Little to Curb Corruption

Zhiwu Chen September 24, 2013
China’s officials discourage public debate about corruption, regarding it as criticism of Communist Party rule, yet some abuses of power can’t escape attention, notably those associated with Bo Xilai, the popular former party chief of Chongqing, who has received a life sentence for bribery. The trial avoided years of systematic abuses, and so far, President Xi Jinping is following old trends,...

Philippines Web Activists Show Power of Internet Campaigns

James Hookway, Joesphine Cuneta August 26, 2013
An internet campaign in the Philippines has shamed politicians on special-interest spending that directs funding to projects in specific districts. The president has taken steps to end legislative discretionary-spending budgets after an internet campaign blasted phony and unnecessary projects listed in the Priority Development Assistance Fund, reports the Wall Street Journal: “Philippine...

China’s American Bailout?

Alexander Friedman August 26, 2013
The US economy focuses on spending, and the Chinese economy largely focuses on saving and lending to the US – “a pattern that has suppressed global interest rates, helped to reflate the developed world’s leverage bubble, and, through its impact on the currency market, fueled China’s meteoric rise,” suggests investment banker Alexander Friedman writing for Project Syndicate. He points out the...

India’s NSA Announces Cybersecurity Cooperation With Private Sector

July 22, 2013
India is considering closer collaboration with the private sector and other nations on cybersecurity, reports The Hindu, which covers the report “Recommendations of Joint Working Group on Engagement With Private Sector on Cyber Security.” Indian officials suggest that the internet could be described as a global commons and that requires global cooperation. One official noted that India has “...

Is Big Data Turning Government Into Big Brother?

Michael Liedtke June 7, 2013
Privacy advocates have long been concerned about the US National Security Agency collecting data on US citizens and foreigners. Recent reports that Verizon and likely other US telecommunications firms are handing over phone logs stir new concerns about surveillance activities started under the George W. Bush administration. Individuals who use digital devices leave digital trails, reports Michael...