In The News

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...

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'...

China-Myanmar Pipeline to Open in May

Jamil Anderlini, Gwen Robinson January 28, 2013
A gas pipeline extending from the Indian Ocean through Myanmar to Southwest China is scheduled to begin pumping before summer. “At present, about 80 per cent of China’s crude oil imports are transported through the strategically important Strait of Malacca, but the new oil pipeline is expected to reduce China’s reliance on that route by about one-third,” report Jamil Anderlini and Gwen Robinson...

The Legacy of the Silk Road

Valerie Hansen January 25, 2013
Modern-day diplomats in Asia and beyond envision reviving the Silk Road, an ancient network of routes crisscrossing the continent for trade and security. But Valerie Hansen, author and professor of history at Yale University points, out that trade was not the primary purpose of the network. “Instead, the Silk Road changed history, largely because the people who managed to travel along part or all...

High-Tech Fork Counts Your Mouthfuls

Bruce Kennedy January 25, 2013
Inventors in one part of the world often observe problems elsewhere and develop solutions. Researchers have long pointed out that eating too fast leads to weight gain and obesity. Quick eaters take in too much before realizing their stomachs are full. So engineer Jacques Lépine invented a fork with electronics in the handle, designed to vibrate and turn red if users insert food into their mouth...

Research Rewrites Global Trade Data

Chris Giles, Claire Jones January 22, 2013
Cars made in one country include parts from all over the world. Labels could end up being larger than products if companies went into detail about the origin of every ingredient and component. Still the labels would be more accurate and could transform perceptions of trade deficits, according to a joint study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade...

Biggest Growth Story? Outside the US

Russ Koesterich January 21, 2013
The gridlock in US Congress, its reliance on last-minute, short-term fixes for well-documented problems, is reducing confidence, threatening credit ratings and low interest rates for borrowers, worrying investors and decreasing tax revenues. So far, opposing parties in Congress refuse to compromise on substantial reform of the US tax code or costly entitlement programs, especially costly health...