In The News

Horsing Around the Global Food Chain

Nayan Chanda February 18, 2013
Regulators in Britain tested the DNA of meat in packaged lasagnas, labeled as beef, and discovered some containing more than half horsemeat. Fast, convenient, affordable frozen and processed meals – often marketed to the poorest consumers – have complex supply chains with many subcontractors for the many ingredients, explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal’s editor. Intense competition and lingering...

Romanian Abattoir Defends Horsemeat Trade

Neil Buckley February 14, 2013
The most astute and health-conscious consumers will scrutinize ingredients, wary about substitutes that reduce costs and quality. A labeling mix-up or lack of transparency ingredients can reduce trust among trading partners and customers alike. Reports that horsemeat was included in processed lasagna meals sold in France, Britain and other countries in Europe have outraged consumers. For many in...

The Hidden Global Trade in Water

Jenny Kehl February 13, 2013
Water seems plentiful, but less than 3 percent of the Earth’s supply is fresh water, much of it polar ice. Agriculture represents about 70 percent of the globe’s annual water use. Exporting water-intensive crops like cotton produced in arid nations is essentially trading an essential resource away, resulting in net losses for water-scarce nations. Subsidies for water and agriculture, cross-border...

Under China’s Shadow, India Looks to Australia

Ashok Malik February 8, 2013
Australia and India are large democracies and former colonies of Britain, but the Cold War interfered with a close relationship for much of the 20th century as India drifted closer to the Soviet Union. Now, as China expands influence and the US pivots to Asia, India may be warming to the concept of an Indo-Pacific region – sharing strategy with neighbor Australia on matters of trade, security and...

Nations Can Try Promotion – Not Protectionism

Anthony P. D’Costa February 4, 2013
Competition among national governments to promote their markets in the global economy is increasingly intense. Governments are expected to regulate markets to reduce instabilities. In their pursuit of growth, many governments are timid, failing to govern their economies – missing global challenges and opportunities while neglecting social protections. Anthony D’Costa, professor and research...

Growth Without Equity Roils South Africa

Haroon Bhorat, Morné Oosthuizen, Anne Kamau February 1, 2013
Labor unrest does not attract foreign investment. South Africa must subdue strikes in its mining industry before unrest spreads to other sectors while addressing the challenges of a high unemployment rate and dire poverty, argue researchers Haroon Bhorat, Morné Oosthuizen and Anne Kamau. South Africa is the world’s biggest producer of gold and platinum. The strikes are both reducing gold and...

Cuba First High-Speed Internet Connection Activated

January 29, 2013
Cuba is now connected to the global internet with high-speed cable, and that could invigorate public debate and political criticism. The country has delayed the rollout to control connections and also blamed the US trade embargo for failure to hook up to US cables. Venezuela shipped the $70 million cable nearly two years ago, reports BBC News. “Investments will first have to be made in Cuba'...