In The News

Project Syndicate: Global Trade System Could Break Down

Anne O. Krueger September 20, 2018
The global rules-based trading system promotes global security. After World War II, the United States led in creating the World Trade Organization, which has contributed to global economic growth, contends economist Anne O. Krueger. Yet the Trump administration is “trying to undermine the institution both in letter and in spirit.” She explains WTO rules: “international trading firms are subject...

The Economist: Road Makers Turn to Recycled Plastic

September 19, 2018
Plastic, sourced from petrochemicals, does not break down easily and offers limited options for recycling. Developers have begun experimenting with melted plastic as an ingredient for road construction to partially replace traditional bitumen and asphalt. In the Netherlands, a 30-meter bicycle path is made of 70 percent plastic. “PlasticRoad is prefabricated in a factory as modular sections,”...

The Diplomat: China’s Great Property Wall

Bonnie Girard September 19, 2018
China restricts foreign purchases of homes and other property. “The contrast between what Chinese real estate investors can access in the United States, and what American and other foreign buyers can access in China, is stark,” explains Bonnie Girard for the Diplomat. “Non-Chinese nationals cannot buy property in China unless they live in China under resident visas. Even then, a foreigner in most...

The Nation: Four Years Is All We Have

Pratch Rujivanarom September 18, 2018
Weather events like Typhoon Mangkhut and Hurricane Florence that deliver loss of life and unprecedented damage should prompt community leaders to prepare for climate change. Some regions, especially coastal communities, face greater risk. “The United Nations and environmentalists are urging governments to show greater determination,” explains Pratch Rujivanarom for the Nation. “They want to see...

Bloomberg: Global Economy Feels Lehman Fallout 10 Years Later

Simon Kennedy and Sam Dodge September 17, 2018
Investments in subprime mortgages and the collapse of Lehman Brothers contributed to the 2008 financial crisis with global economic and political fallout due to stalled growth and increased government intervention. The consequences linger today worldwide with increased debt, wage stagnation, widening inequality and lingering unemployment in some nations. “The deepest international recession since...

Global Finance: Consequences of Rising Oil Prices

Laurence Neville September 14, 2018
Oil prices have been volatile, moving from more than $100 per barrel in 2014 to $27 in 2016 to more than $75 today. Oil producers with budgets depending on oil revenue like Venezuela could benefit. Still, global growth depends on stable energy prices, and high oil prices could trigger inflation and threaten emerging economies, which are both more energy intensive and less energy efficient than...

ReliefWeb: Building Climate Resilience for Food Security

September 12, 2018
One out of every nine of the world’s people is going hungry, one out of every eight adults is obese, and the health of hundreds of millions is at risk. “Hunger has been on the rise over the past three years, returning to levels from a decade ago,” reports the 2018 report on Food Security and Nutrition in the World. “This reversal in progress sends a clear warning that more must be done and...