In The News

Spiegel: Germany Prepares for Economic Downturn

Christian Reiermann January 15, 2019
International Monetary Fund analysts warn that the global economy confronts multiple risks, and the global banking system is not prepared for a downturn. Stock markets are losing value, and trade disagreements reduce efficiency and heighten uncertainty. Tightening US monetary policy and rising interest rates pose problems for emerging economies that have borrowed in dollars. Brexit, populism and...

Financial Times: Why World Economy Feels Fragile

Martin Wolf January 9, 2019
The livelihoods and routines of more than 7 billion people depend on a stable global economy, and there are always reasons to worry, including long-term structural and cyclical challenges, explains Martin Wolf for the Financial Times. Global growth has slowed, led by a slowdown in the Chinese economy, but central banks and global markets can and do adjust to cyclical changes. While severe...

European Sting: Confronting Neo-Mercantilism

Paul Rawlinson January 8, 2019
Trade tensions run high, led in no small part by the US-China trade spat, Brexit negotiations and the need for World Trade Organization reforms. “Without agreed legal frameworks, the default becomes ‘might is right,’ where the most powerful countries leverage their positions to favour themselves over others,” explains Paul Rawlinson for the European Sting. “The unforeseen return of mercantilism...

Asia-Pacific Journal Japan Focus: China’s BRI Goals

John A. Mathews January 2, 2019
China’s Belt and Road global investment strategy is financing more than $1 trillion in infrastructure development in more than 70 nations. The initiative, global in scope, is a response to the US “pivot to Asia” announced under the Obama administration, “carefully and astutely crafted to take advantage of moves by the US as the current hegemon,” explains John A. Matthews for the Asia-Pacific...

Caixin: Casualties in China-US Trade War

David Mahon December 31, 2018
As the US-China trade war continues, small nations expected to take sides will suffer economic losses. Countries, struggling to avoid coercion, must assess their relationships and values. Some like New Zealand will turn to other excuses, suggests David Mahon in an opinion essay for Caixin, but the trade war is the impetus. He points out that for New Zealand and more than 40 other nations, China...

Salon: 5 Key Trends in Globalization

Edward Goldberg December 30, 2018
Old forms of globalization linked to fear and nationalism – as “angry minority based coalitions determined the fate of the majority” – have reemerged over the past year, explains Edward Goldberg. He offers a list of the top globalization events for 2018 for Salon, and for each the world can repeat history or learn from past events to avoid trouble: After 40 years of opening to the global economy...

PIIE: What is Globalization?

Melina Kolb December 26, 2018
Perhaps it is human nature as so many people take credit for their every success but blame others – trade, migration, technological advances and other facets of globalization – for their woes. The Peterson Institute for International Economics undertakes the task of reminding about the age-old processes of globalization, urging an understanding of the relative costs and benefits to avoid the...