In The News

The Depression: If Only Things Were That Good

David Leonhardt October 14, 2011
In analyzing any economic period, one can focus on wages or employment levels – or delve deeper into a society’s potential, examining education and innovations. David Leonhardt takes the latter approach in comparing the current crisis with the Great Depression, when television, autos, aviation, nylon and other materials were under development. A lack of technological innovations that provide for...

Why China Can't and Won't Save the World

Emily Kaiser October 11, 2011
Struggling economies often eye China and its $3.2 trillion in reserves for their rescue, and that’s unrealistic, argues Emily Kaiser, Asian economics correspondent in analysis for Reuters. China would have to triple its current rate of growth to offset a 3 percent drop in US and European growth, explains one economist. Increased stimulus spending could exacerbate inflation, inefficient spending,...

The Four Horsemen of Economics

Stewart Wallis September 28, 2011
Humans are not necessarily stuck with the unsustainable, unstable economic constructs they have created. Political systems can shape local and global economies, either deliberately or by default. Stewart Wallis, executive director of the New Economics Foundation, urges nations to work in concert to address crises that promise to arise with greater frequency and severity – whether extreme weather...

After the Arab Spring – Part I

Gustav Ranis September 21, 2011
The Palestinian-Israeli pressure cooker of complex mix of interests and injustices has long threatened to explode – an issue ready-made for extremists of all stripes to needle leaders in Israel, the Palestine Authority or the United States. Since the Arab Spring swept old regimes from power, notably in Egypt, Muslims everywhere are emboldened to demand democratic institutions and full...

Cycle of “Compulsive Consumerism” Leaves British Family Life in Crisis, Unicef Study Finds

John Bingham September 20, 2011
Pointless accumulation of material goods, as compensation for widening inequality, was an underlying cause of the widespread UK riots in August, contends Unicef UK. Work-weary parents who replace playtime and conversations with “stuff” are raising unhappy, difficult children. In a follow-up to a 2007 Unicef study showing that the well-being of British children was the lowest among OECD nations,...

Asia’s Lack of Babies

Philip Bowring September 20, 2011
Declining birth rates in East Asia could dent economic growth, notes an Asian Development Bank study. Increasing wealth correlates with low fertility rates. Bearing and raising children entails sacrifices that last at least two decades, and women easily ignore government calls for a hike in reproduction rates. Asia could follow the lead of Scandinavia, France or the US, suggests Philip Bowring...

Unemployment, Inc.: Six Reasons Why America Can't Create Jobs

Mark Trumbull September 12, 2011
High unemployment in the US and a sharp reduction in consumer spending depress economies around the globe. Economists warn that the US economy could be experiencing a structural shift, explains Mark Trumbull for the Christian Science Monitor. He lists six reasons for the long period of high unemployment: companies pushing for higher productivity among workers, while hiring workers on a temporary...