In The News

Obama Calls for International Tax Reform Amid Panama Papers Revelations

Rupert Neate and David Smith April 6, 2016
Governments struggle to provide basic services as wealthiest citizens find ways, legal and illegal, to evade taxes. The release of more than 11 million files, known as the Panama Papers, from the law firm Mossack Fonseca detail methods for reducing taxes: shell companies, minimal disclosure requirements, property investments, trust funds and outright fraud. Repercussions of the massive leak are...

Rohingya Left Behind in Myanmar's Power Transition

Lucy Kafanov April 1, 2016
Inequality and an utter lack of health care, education and opportunity for a minority group of people does not reflect well on governance. “Denied citizenship and voting rights as well as access to proper medical care and education, the Rohingya have been largely left behind in Myanmar's widely-lauded transition to democracy following a November election that swept Aung San Suu Kyi's...

A Flat World Gets Bumpy With Globalization in Retreat

David Dapice March 24, 2016
Uncertainty and instability threaten the global economy, and monetary stimulus by the central banks, including negative rates, is not delivering growth or confidence. So far, the United States is alone in breaking away from the pack to engage in monetary tightening and gradually lifting interest rates. China employs strict controls to prevent businesses and savers from sending cash outside the...

Denmark the “Happiest Country” and Burundi the “Least Happy”

March 21, 2016
Wealth and weather may not influence happiness as much as many may assume, and inequality contributes to unhappiness. The UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network ranked 156 countries by analyzing surveys in which people are asked to evaluate their lives on a scale of 1 to 10 and measurements of GDP per capita, social supports, health and life expectancy, freedom to make life choices,...

How Technology Could Unwind a Decade-Long Trend in Global Trade

Luke Kawa February 24, 2016
Globalization pushes production and jobs to emerging economies while automation in technology has reduced jobs in the developed economies, explains Luke Kawa for Bloomberg Business. The article is based on a note to clients from analysts at the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. led by Senior Asia Economist Goohoon Kwon. As robots become less costly, companies will move production closer to customer bases...

Davos 2016: Questions About Globalization's End and What Comes Next

Paul Laudicina January 22, 2016
Each year the World Economic Forum convenes government, industry and activist leaders to offer regional and international proposals along with private-public partnerships. Uncertainty and the expectations for “fundamental, radical global shifts” have permeated the 2016 meeting, explains Paul Laudicina for Forbes. “How leaders manage this system shift in years to come will determine the course the...

However Welcome, Overdue US Climate Plan Falls Short

Sunita Narain and Chandra Bhushan October 29, 2015
The world celebrates emerging US recognition that climate change is a treacherous phenomenon caused by human reliance on coal and other fossil fuels. The United States has prepared an emissions reduction framework to present to the UN climate treaty secretariat at December’s conference in Paris. Still, a report from the Centre for Science and Environment in India is highly critical of the US...