In The News

Some Silicon Valley-Style Pioneers Head East

Saritha Rai October 3, 2012
Many Indians are wary of starting business on their own. With a poor economy in the West, many are giving up jobs in Silicon Valley to return home and organize their own startups. The emerging economy offers a huge test market along with low costs and dependable workers. The returnees offer “an unprecedented innovation boost,” reports Saritha Rai, but must first overcome “a seeming aversion...

A Turning Point for China

Jean-Pierre Lehmann October 1, 2012
China’s progress since the first half of the 20th century is stunning and indeed inspiring. The nation that once rejected globalization, set out to rapidly transform its global reputation, from being pitied for horrific poverty to envied for stable economic growth. The world economy has come to depend on China, notes Jean-Pierre Lehmann, international political economist, in a quick review of the...

One Country, Many Voices

Jeffrey Wasserstrom September 24, 2012
China under one-party rule fosters an image of harmony, with unified goals and opinion on any cultural event or political issue. Discussions of the same topics are more lively in online commentary and on China’s streets, argues Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chinese specialist and author. He compares the sensational, perfectly choreographed opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with recent angry...

Reform Sprouts in North Korea?

John Delury July 26, 2012
North Korea, among the world’s most secretive, isolated and impoverished countries, is led by the world’s youngest head of state. Analysts are uncertain about many details of Kim Jong Un’s life, including his age or the extent of his education with a stint in Switzerland. Since taking power in April, the young leader has taken steps to transform his nation: dismissing the country’s top military...

Children of China's Future – Part I

Pallavi Aiyar March 12, 2012
In societies with greater equality, rich or poor, social cohesion often remains strong with opportunities shared. But societies with greater inequality can anticipate more health problems, discontent and corruption. As a nation’s inequality widens, early warning signs are often apparent among children. This YaleGlobal series analyzes widening inequality in China and its effects on children. China...

Childless by Choice

Joseph Chamie and Barry Mirkin March 2, 2012
Around the globe, more women and men are delaying childbirth, with many deciding against having children altogether. Economic recession, high unemployment rates, education and career ambitions contribute to the phenomenon. Among most developed nations, one in 10 women in their late 40s have no children, and in Italy and Switzerland, the childlessness rate approaches one in four women. The...

Unreality Check: From Kim to Kim in North Korea

Philip Gourevitch December 22, 2011
North Korea is among the poorest nations in the world, enduring government mismanagement that emphasizes military spending, which leads to repeat famines and manipulated relief efforts. With the announcement of Kim Jong Il’s death, North Koreans engaged in a massive display of rote grief, orchestrated, filmed and released to western media and analyzed by Philip Gourevitch for the New Yorker. “To...