In The News

What Macroeconomists Are Missing

Andrew Sheng May 25, 2016
Mainstream economic models failed to predict the 2007 global economic crisis. In an essay for CaixinOnline, Andrew Sheng suggests that the models overlook the impact of uncertainty and that fragmented analysis neglects global connections: “[S]pecialists and departmental agencies know more and more about less and less and are unable to connect the dots to view the economic and social system as a...

US Airstrike Against Taliban Leader Crossed a Pakistani “Red Line”

Tim Craig and Greg Miller May 25, 2016
US President Barack Obama ordered a drone strike that killed Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour in Baluchistan – defying Pakistan’s request to limit such strikes to the northwestern tribal belt. Afghan leaders are frustrated by terrorists waging attacks against their country, then crossing the border for shelter in Pakistan. “Now, some Pakistani leaders are rattled, saying they fear the...

With Eye on China, Obama Strengthens Ties With Vietnam

Murray Hiebert May 24, 2016
The United States and Vietnam are rapidly building a partnership based on trade and security agreements. US President Obama visited Vietnam on his way to the G7 meeting in Japan. During the visit, Obama lifted a ban on the sale of weapons to the country of 90 million and Vietnam will welcome US Peace Corps volunteers who teach English. Vietnam values the relationship more for trade than security...

Global Migration? Actually, The World Is Staying Home

Guido Mingels May 24, 2016
Despite news about waves of refugees fleeing conflict and poverty, the number of people on the move has held fairly steady for the past five decades. Less than 1 percent of the world’s population of 7.3 billion has migrated for any reason during the last five years. The Wittgenstein Center for Demography in Vienna delves into United Nations statistics and offers surprising findings. For example,...

US Targets Spying Threat on Campus With Proposed Research Clampdown

Julia Edwards May 23, 2016
The US State Department has proposed barring international students from research projects and classes involving “information seen as vital to national security,” reports Julia Edwards for Reuters. “The new rule, which largely applies to company-sponsored research, threatens to shrink the pool of research opportunities available for US colleges, which have grown strongly in popularity among high-...

In Historic Move, US Lifts Embargo on Arms Sales to Vietnam

David Nakamura May 23, 2016
US President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam, and lifting an arms embargo, underscores growing cooperation between the two countries that were at war just over four decades ago. David Nakamura reports for the Washington Post: “Obama said the latest step ‘was not based on China or any other considerations. It was based on our desire to complete what has been a lengthy process of moving towards...

E-Commerce and Crowdfunding: Why Are They the Same in China?

Julien Legrand May 20, 2016
Small startups in China struggle to find funding, and many entrepreneurs rely on numerous crowdfunding platforms, explains Julien Legrand for ParisTech Review. “China counts 650 million netizens, accessing the Internet mostly via smartphones (86% of Internet usage), on which many have electronic money,” he writes. “Household savings are huge – about US$4.6 trillion – and Chinese are increasingly...