In The News

World Will Miss Economic Benefit of 1.8 Billion Young People

Fiona Harvey October 31, 2011
As the population hits the 7 billion mark, the world contemplates the challenges in providing adequate education, jobs and other opportunities for growing numbers of youth. The largest cohort of youth in the world’s history can represent great potential or missed opportunities. A UN report warns that the potential economic benefits of having such a large global population of young people could go...

Asia’s Lack of Babies

Philip Bowring September 20, 2011
Declining birth rates in East Asia could dent economic growth, notes an Asian Development Bank study. Increasing wealth correlates with low fertility rates. Bearing and raising children entails sacrifices that last at least two decades, and women easily ignore government calls for a hike in reproduction rates. Asia could follow the lead of Scandinavia, France or the US, suggests Philip Bowring...

Saudis Behead an Indonesian Maid

June 26, 2011
Crimes and punishments that cut across borders provoke global judgments on differences in culture and legal systems. Individual players in the sensational dramas represent their nations. Poor nations send millions of workers, 75 percent of them women, overseas as unskilled labor. Given the power imbalance, contracts, if any, are unenforceable. The migrant workers have few protections and are...

Driving Campaign for Saudi Women Challenges Custom

Mohammed Jamjoom June 21, 2011
An Arab Spring may be coming to Saudi Arabia on wheels. Saudi women take to the streets, not for political protests but the right to drive. “Though there are no traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, religious edicts are often interpreted as a ban against female drivers,” reports Mohammed Jamjoom for CNN. In May, one female driver was detained for a week and had to...

People on the Move – Part II

Steven Borowiec June 16, 2011
Poorer nations drive the world’s population growth while developed nations with aging populations are in need of young labor. Strategic policies on immigration can fill the gaps, but social, economic and diplomatic challenges emerge when the immigrants are treated as less than equal partners. With a low birth rate, South Korea seeks immigrants to work in construction, manufacturing and agri-...

Is Growth Incomplete Without Social Progress?

Ejaz Ghani May 4, 2011
Poverty is concentrated in middle-income nations, explains Ejaz Ghani, World Bank economic advisor, writing for Project Syndicate. Poverty-reduction programs struggle to keep pace with population growth and rising wage inequality, though growth can ease the effects of income inequality. Income growth contributes to higher rates of education and literacy, yet poverty lingers in nations with...

The Indian Exception

April 12, 2011
Economic growth and malnutrition are often inversely correlated. India enjoys impressive economic growth, yet the malnutrition rate in many states remains stubbornly high, even among middle-income families. Government attempts to feed the hungry, including a “right to food,” have been unsuccessful. An essay in the Economist suggests that expansive handouts, like free meals for many schools,...