In The News

Philippines’ Next President: Implications for ASEAN

Mely Caballero-Anthony May 11, 2016
Voters in the Philippines fell in line with global trends of frustration over bureaucratic processes, by selecting a maverick leader who promises to shake up government, end corruption and bring rapid improvement. Rodrigo Duterte was elected president. “Standing on a platform of eradicating crime and corruption that have plagued the country, Duterte has shocked his countrymen’s sensibilities with...

March of Arab Spring on Pause

Hicham Alaoui May 10, 2016
The Arab Spring, a wave of protests sweeping through the Middle East in 2011, inspired hope for more freedoms in the region. Such anticipation was short-lived as authoritarian rulers recalibrated strategies for control by strengthening alliances with constituencies including elites, secular middle classes and workers who are wary of rapid changes that might threaten economic stability, explains...

"My Name Is Sadiq Khan and I'm the Mayor of London"

Nabanita Sircar May 10, 2016
Cities and nations inspire, not when their citizens fear and denigrate immigrants, but instead welcome the newcomers’ skills and ideas and celebrate their rising influence. “In a world where terrorism and Islamophobia is spreading rapidly, London showed its inherent multicultural, diverse character when it elected the first Muslim Mayor, Sadiq Khan,” explains Nabanita Sircar for Outlook magazine...

A Recipe for Disaster

Nayan Chanda May 9, 2016
Widening inequality has fueled a populism in democracies like the United States and France that counters the agenda of political elites. “Now the Panama Papers revealing a massive tax avoidance scheme by the world’s elite have added another black mark to globalization,” explains Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online in his column for Businessworld, referring to a massive leak of bank...

Is Globalization Really Fueling Populism?

Daniel Gros May 9, 2016
An angry populism – a belief that ordinary citizens, not elites, should control government while avoiding centrism and compromise – is on the rise in Europe and the United States. Daniel Gros questions the suggestion that the so-called losers of globalization are fueling such populism, suggesting the trends are not new. Inequality in education levels is not new, and workers with more education...

Moderate Syrian Rebels Torn Between Giving Up, Joining Islamic Extremists

Sam Dagher May 6, 2016
The Syrian civil war has raged for more than five years, a long time in a nation where half the people are under the age of 24. Intervention from Russia in recent months has given the Assad regime the upper hand. Assad troops are closing in on moderate Syrian rebels who are forced to decide: surrender and hope to settle with a brutal and corrupt government, team up with extremists, or somehow...

Fort McMurray Blaze Shows What “the Economy” Is Really About

Todd Hirsch May 6, 2016
Fort McMurray, built around Canada’s oil sands industry, is engulfed by wildfires, prompting evacuation of the almost 90,000 residents. Thousands of homes were destroyed with damages already estimated at near $1 billion. The tragedy, suggests economist Todd Hirsch, offers a reminder on social priorities. “The first part of the word ‘economics’ is derived from the ancient Greek word oikos, which...