In The News

Brexit Blues in Central Europe

Joji Sakurai July 28, 2016
Europe's opponents of immigration may be triumphant about Brexit, but the crowing won’t last long in countries that depend on the European Union for technical advice, aid, trade and foreign investment that allowed them to outperform the European Union as a whole. “To hear the rhetoric, one might assume that ‘Huxit’ or ‘Czexit’ – departures by Hungary or the Czech Republic – may be around the...

A Brief History of (In)equality

J. Bradford DeLong July 28, 2016
Rising inequality is a complex challenge that lacks simple solutions. “This complexity implies that any adjustments to our political economy should be based on sound social science and directed by elected leaders who are genuinely acting in the interest of the people,” argues economist J. Bradford DeLong. He summarizes processes throughout history that distributed economic gains in disparate ways...

Smartphone Addiction: The Slot Machine in Your Pocket

Tristan Harris July 27, 2016
Smartphones and social media by their very nature are like slot machines, enticing users to check for updates and news, explains Tristan Harris for Spiegel Online, describing intermittent variable rewards and need for social approval. The technology, like magicians, gives users the illusion of choice. “Western Culture is built around ideals of individual choice and freedom,” Harris writes. “...

India’s Digital Revolution Poised to Propel Services

Nandan Nilekani July 26, 2016
India is poised to revolutionize the service industry, in such a way that borrowing, saving and transferring money could happen as swiftly as sending an email. This technological leap enables India to rely more on services and domestic consumption even as world trade is slumping. A nationwide government initiative encouraging financial inclusion and bank accounts, combined with biometric-based...

With Globalization in Danger, G-20 Double Down on a Defense

July 26, 2016
The world’s largest economies have prospered from globalization, yet G20 finance leaders must confront the growing opposition to trade and immigration among their citizens: “finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 put a stepped-up emphasis on fiscal and structural policies to boost growth, and renewed a pledge to promote inclusiveness,” reports Bloomberg News. The article...

Pokémon Go: Overnight Sensation Was 20 Years in the Making

Alex Hern July 25, 2016
Pokémon Go, an augmented reality computer game that aims to catch cute characters superimposed on surrounding scenery, has gone viral. Alex Hern of the Guardian profiles Dennis Crowley, whose career centers on location-based games like Pac-Manhattan, Dodgeball and Foursquare, and reminds that the game was 20 years in the making. Pokémon Go blends a popular game of the 1990s with Ingress, “a...

It’s Just a Stealth Reform

Nayan Chanda July 25, 2016
The Indian government is promoting textile and garment production to restore the country’s manufacturing prowess while also slipping in labor reforms. “By highlighting subsidies and higher wages for workers while increasing the hiring and firing power of employers the government has adopted the tactic of stealth reform,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for...