In The News

Stop the Great Firewall of America

Rebecca MacKinnon November 25, 2011
Protection sometimes can go too far. Proposed US legislation that aims to prevent the theft of intellectual property could actually aid and abet censorship efforts, complementing those in China. “The bills would empower the attorney general to create a blacklist of sites to be blocked by Internet service providers, search engines, payment providers and advertising networks, all without a court...

The Magic of Diasporas

November 23, 2011
Citizens in troubled economies like the US and Europe are increasingly lashing out against immigration. Such blame is misplaced. Fears about depressed wages, stretched benefit programs and brain drain are exaggerated, suggests this article in the Economist, and governments must do a better job of educating voters about “the growing economic importance of diasporas, and the contribution they can...

How Walmart Is Changing China

Orville Schell November 23, 2011
Walmart is working with China to identify and reduce waste in packaging, shipping and energy use, explains China expert Orville Schell in an article for the Atlantic. Any cost-saving idea can be multiplied among thousands of suppliers, thousands of stores, millions of employees and shoppers. Since 2005, Walmart and China “are engaging in a bold experiment in consumer behavior modification, market...

Europe Short on Cash as Bond Fears Deepen

Stefan Kaiser November 23, 2011
Unlike politicians, global investors are strict taskmasters. Banks are warning that European governments can no longer take the capital markets for granted in financing public projects, writes Stefan Kaiser for Spiegel Online. His article describes Germany as a safe haven, but shortly after the article was posted, a German auction sold only 65 percent of €6 billion in 10-year bonds. Investors are...

Latin America: Shift in Direction Fuels Growth Across Continent

John Paul Rathbone November 21, 2011
Latin America has remained largely immune to the global financial crisis sweeping through developed economies due to burgeoning trade ties with Asia, particularly China. In the last 10 years, trade between Latin America and China rose sixfold to $230 billion. China is the biggest trading partner for Brazil and Chile, according to the Inter-American Development Bank. This rapid rise is mainly...

Russian Industries May Rile WTO by Undermining Trade Pledges

November 18, 2011
For nearly 20 years, Russia has worked on its bid for membership in the World Trade Organization. If approved by trade ministers in December, its entry will be the biggest step in global trade liberalization since China’s admission, according to the World Bank. Russia’s economy grew by more than 4 percent in 2010 and WTO membership could expand that to 11 percent by 2020. Oil and gas account...

Painful Euro Crisis and Lessons for the World – Part II

Joergen Oerstroem Moeller November 18, 2011
While overspending and giving citizens a false sense of prosperity, leaders of wealthy governments anticipated future economic growth to resolve all imbalances. This YaleGlobal series analyzes how the debt crisis unfolding in Europe may offer lessons for the rest of globe. A relatively small group of banks and investors control substantial global revenue, explains researcher Joergen Oerstroem...