In The News

US Foundations Boost Chinese Government, Not NGOs

Anthony J. Spires March 28, 2012
The number of NGOs continues to multiply worldwide, and competition for funding is intense. US-based foundations that contribute to international endeavors tend to promote human rights and democracy. But recipient programs in China are tightly monitored and controlled by the government, explains Anthony J. Spires, sociology professor with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, adding that “major...

India Urged Again to Pursue Non-Alignment

Sumit Ganguly March 26, 2012
“NonAlignment 2.0: A Foreign and Strategic Policy for India in the Twenty-First Century” may not have been the most suitable title for a document that strives to offer guiding principles in line with India’s goal of becoming a global power, argues Sumit Ganguly, professor and foreign policy analyst. The document – published in January by the Centre for Policy Research, a nonpartisan, independent...

Children of China's Future – Part II

Karen Eggleston, Jean Oi, Scott Rozelle, Ang Sun, Xueguang Zhou March 14, 2012
Inequality has many forms, most with insidious and tragic consequences for children. This two-part series examines the opportunity gap for children of wealthy urbanites in China and those of the rural poor. In the second and final article, Karen Eggleston and a team of faculty members and researchers with Stanford University focus on the plight of China’s rural poor and an 8-year-old boy. Like...

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...

With Hunger Growing, North Korea Returns to Nuclear Talks

Shim Jae Hoon March 7, 2012
China’s policy toward North Korea is increasingly viewed as self-serving, cynical and awkward. On one hand, China sides with the international community, echoing demands for a nuclear-free peninsula and, on the other, props up the Kim regime with food and military aid. At first glance, North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, has let China off the hook by offering to restart talks on...

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...

India’s Dilemma: Faster Growth or Poverty Alleviation?

T.N. Ninan February 22, 2012
Fast growth from globalization can produce uneven results, enriching some citizens and leaving others behind. Balancing poverty removal and fast growth becomes more difficult when politicians have to worry about their constituents, notes Indian journalist T.N. Ninan. He uses battles in India over food subsidies, designed to eliminate hunger, and an employment guarantee program as examples of the...