In The News

A Different Economy: Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Gittins September 2, 2019
Advanced economies no longer work the way they once did, and no one should expect a return to "normal" anytime soon. Economists disagree about the reasons. For now, governments and citizens must adjust to a new normal, explains Ross Gittins for the Sydney Morning Herald. Some Australian leaders prepare to adjust for declines in economic growth, productivity and interest rates. Australia...

China's Social Credit System: DW

August 29, 2019
China already ranks its companies and citizens on social reputation, and plans to extend rankings to individuals and firms with China operations by 2020. Large firms can expect to be ranked on about 30 categories and as many as 300 requirements including licensing, tax payments, environmental protections, billing, logistics and more. China’s government regards the system as a prerequisite for...

Tensions at G-7: Wall Street Journal

Rebecca Ballhaus, Noemie Bisserbe and Max Colchester August 26, 2019
G7 leaders tried to present a cooperative image despite tensions over issues like trade, climate change and Iran. The United States under Donald Trump is isolated in this forum. “G-7 leaders tried to squeeze concessions from Mr. Trump on Iran and other issues over closed-door meals, beyond the reach of White House advisers and TV cameras,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “But Mr. Trump responded...

Bolsonaro’s Amazon Disaster: Climate News Network

Jan Rocha August 26, 2019
With the start of Brazil’s dry season, thousands of fires burn out of control, destroying large swaths of the Amazon rainforest. Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro campaigned for the presidency on a pro-development, anti-environment platform. Farmers in one town planned a “day of fire,” eager to expand their farms. Brazil’s INPE showed a massive increase in deforestation over the past year, though Bolsonaro...

Climate Change Underestimated: Scientific American

Naomi Oreskes, Michael Oppenheimer and Dale Jamieson August 20, 2019
Researchers have revised methods for measuring ocean surface temperatures, with the help of reliable measurement buoys. Thus, revisions in the historical data are in order. Because oceans cover three fifths of the planet, researchers’ estimates were low, and climate warming and melting of polar ice is happening at a faster pace than once predicted. “These recent updates, suggesting that climate...

Trade War Helps China’s Belt and Road: China Brief

Chris Devonshire-Ellis August 15, 2019
The US delayed a round of tariffs scheduled for China September 1. “The simple truth is that China’s share of bilateral trade with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries, coupled with increasing trade with ASEAN, is more than compensating for any US trade downturn,” explains Chris Devonshire-Ellis for China Briefing. China advises its firms to find substitute markets. Some market adjustments...

Crumbling Global Order: Wall Street Journal

Greg Ip August 14, 2019
Major shifts in world systems can result in global downturns, argues Greg Ip for the Wall Street Journal. This was the case for the end of the era of cheap oil but not the advent of the internet. Increasing resistance to globalization and open markets fueled by nationalism and populism – and a general decline in diplomacy with Brexit, the US-China and South Korea-Japan trade wars, divisions in...