In The News

Designing Fair Shares Prosperity in Asia

Chandran Nair May 31, 2012
Societies aiming for social progress have a few mechanisms: Governments can tax wealth and fund programs or NGOs; mandate a level of investment in beneficial programs, while giving companies and investors the benefit of choice; or impose few restrictions, hoping that companies and investors choose to strengthen communities on their own. Social investments can be piecemeal or far-reaching. With...

China’s Aid Emboldens Cambodia

Sebastian Strangio May 16, 2012
Attendees to the 20th Summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, held in Phnom Penh, could not miss the warm welcome for another visitor – billboards and flags honoring Chinese President Hu Jintao. The visit was no coincidence, argues journalist Sebastian Strangio, based in Phnom Penh. A steady flow of loans and investment in Cambodian projects signals rising Chinese influence and possible...

Asia Caught Between Rivals China and US

Jean-Pierre Lehmann April 30, 2012
As European and US economies continue to drag, many analysts see China and Asia as a whole rising as dominant global players. But international political economist Jean-Pierre Lehmann points to the ambiguity of this prowess. Asian nations increasingly rely on China as an economic partner while increasingly counting on the United States for security. Vietnam, Australia, Japan and others...

Tide Turns on Border Crossing

Miriam Jordan April 26, 2012
The reasons are many – demographics, recession, a rise in enforcement and hostility toward immigrants – but net immigration from Mexico to the US has plummeted to zero, reports Miriam Jordan for the Wall Street Journal. A decline in the Mexico’s birth rate has increased families’ wealth and reduced the need to immigrate in search for work. “Mexican families have fewer mouths to feed as the...

Ending Isolation – Part I

Philip Bowring April 23, 2012
The West uses sanctions to encourage authoritarian governments to meet global norms. In this two-part YaleGlobal series on the efficacy of sanctions, authors examine the experiences of two countries. In the first of the series, Hong Kong-based journalist Philip Bowring argues that sanctions can have diminishing impacts, if not lifted once reform has begun. Since a 1988 coup by army generals in...

BRICS Alliance Looking for Cement

Ashok Malik April 2, 2012
Investment bank Goldman Sachs introduced the term BRIC in a 2003 report, suggesting that by mid-century the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China would outpace most of the major economic powers. S, for South Africa, was added in 2011. The loose grouping was based not on trade, security or political needs, but on speculation about investment opportunities they might offer....

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...