In The News

The West’s Stake in Hong Kong: Diplomat

Brian C.H. Fong January 23, 2020
Hong Kong protests continue after seven months, bringing scrutiny to the territory’s relationship with China and the promises for semi-autonomy through 2047. Disagreement between protesters and the Hong Kong government is not a local issue, but a “complicated geopolitical issue involving great power competition,” explains Brian C.H. Fong for the Diplomat and HongKong Brief. He describes the...

Life Under the Algorithm: New Republic

Gabriel Winant December 21, 2019
Productivity fuels economic growth and wealth, and management increasingly relies on technologies to motivate workers to achieve greater speed. Yet wages do not grow at the same pace, and top company officers and investors collect most of the gains. “The decline of unions, the rise of inequality, the crisis of liberal democracy, and the changing face of American culture all, in one form or...

Wrecking the WTO: Times of India

Nayan Chanda December 18, 2019
US President Donald Trump seeks partners in his push to rebalance global trade, reduce global agreements with environmental and other constraints, and build US influence based on power rather than cooperative alliances. He views the UK’s Boris Johnson as a likeminded leader, after an overwhelming victory in parliamentary elections all but ensures Britain’s speedy exit from the European Union....

Argentina Faces Economic Crisis: Buenos Aires Times

December 13, 2019
Alberto Fernández, sworn in as president of Argentina, inherits enormous debt, recession, inflation, a 10 percent unemployment rate and 40 percent poverty rate, reports the Buenos Aires Times. The peso has lost two thirds of its value since 2018. The many challenges compound the hardship in paying external debt. Fernández promises to increase economic growth but offers no details, partly because...

¥13 Trillion Stimulus Plan in Japan: Japan Times

December 4, 2019
Governments with heavy debt loads are hooked on stimulus and low interest rates. Japan, the world’s third largest national economy, has national debt worth more than 230 percent of its GDP. The Japan Times reports that government officials could add more debt by finalizing plans for a ¥13 trillion stimulus package. The government hopes to take advantage of negative interest rates from the country...

Global Pension Crisis: Financial Times

Josephine Cumbo and Robin Wigglesworth November 26, 2019
Since the financial crisis in 2008, many central banks have implemented easier monetary policies and other tools to stimulate economic growth. Due to those efforts, the interest rates have dropped in many countries, in turn reducing investment gains and swelling debt of pension funds. In some extreme cases, such as Sweden and Switzerland, the central bank policy rate falls below zero, or negative...

Negative Interest Rates in Europe: DW

Uwe Hessler October 5, 2019
Low and negative interest rates keep loans flowing. Europe tries to stimulate its economies with low rates, and some banks charge customers who keep large amounts in their accounts. Governments or individuals can take out an individual €1000 loan and repay only €995, while savers receive no interest at all, explains Uwe Hessler for Deutsche Welle. “A negative deposit rate is intended to encourage...