You are at: Home > News/Analysis, Page 10 ('08) | Previous | Next Posted: 10-14 Mar 08 IMF urges action to strengthen global financial system: With the risks of further escalation of crisis rising, decisive action is needed to put the system on firmer footing. The first priority is to reverse the spreading strains in intl financial markets, IMF Survey, 12 Mar 08 First non-US chief economist named by biz research organization: A Dutch national is selected by a biz group which has a third of its member cos. now based outside the US, Conference Board, 12 Mar 08 (Housing sector correction) Sluggish economy on the cusp of recession: Forecasters say econ- omy doesn't meet definition of a 'true' recession, UCLA School of Mgmt, 11 Mar 08 (Housing starts' role) UN's Burma role runs out of steam: This could well be Gambari's last visit, as his proposals to include the opposition in the political process & to have intl observers monitor the referendum are reject- ed, by J Head, BBC News, 10 Mar 08 Andrei Schleifer: The Age of Milton Friedman--Economists remain divided in their assessments of this Age. Two recent books illustrate this division.One (ed.by Fischer & co) endorses free market policies, while another (by Stiglitz & co) rejects them, Harvard, Feb '08[pdf] (extended) (2nd bk's summary) Bradford DeLong: The end of the Age of Friedman--The past 3 dec- ades can be called thus, as the coming to power of Reagan, Thatcher and Deng led to an enormous rise in liberty & prosperity, UC Berke- ley (scroll), 6 Mar 08 Robert Lawrence: Much ado about NAFTA--It's the politics, stupid. When it comes to the US economy, trade has replaced the devil as the reason things go bad, says Harvard economist, Guardian/UK (courtesy Peterson Inst), 7 Mar 08 Jeff Faux: Overhauling NAFTA--Now that we have a consensus, among Dems at least, it's time to consider replacing the agreement with one that works for working people on all sides of our borders, acc to Inst founding pres, Economic Policy Inst, 29 Feb 08 Wanted: One CEO for One Laptop Per Child--After weathering an acrimonious split from Intel & harsh criticism from critics, One Lap- top Per Child is reorganizing, by S Hamm, BusinessWeek, 5 Mar 08 Y Liu & K Kumar: China and India--Different educational paths to- ward prosperity: India focused for the most part on higher educ. for a few, while China largely focused on basic educ. for the masses. What lessons can the developing world draw from these contrasting experiences?, Rand Policy Insight, Feb '08 D Rodrik & A Subramanian: We must curb intl flows of capital--The appropriate role of policy will be as often to stem the tide of capital flows as to encourage them, acc to Harvard & fmr IMF economists, FT, 25 Feb 08 (Letters to ed--Lachman | Johnson/Ostry) (courtesy Peterson Inst, AEI & IMF) (Rodrik's reply) Martin Feldstein: Our economic dilemma--The credit flows needed for economic expansion require confidence in the values of existing fin. assets, but market participants may not have such confidence while the risk of recession hangs over us, says fmr CEA chair, WSJ, 20 Feb 08 All alone in a crowd: A fmr Kennedy School dean uses membership in civic groups to measure social capital. Social capital provides the foundation to society, just as economic & human capital provide the foundation of the economy, Straits Times/Spore (courtesy NBER), 30 Jan 07 [pdf] Posted: 3-7 Mar 08 International Women's Day, 8 Mar 08: "At the '05 World Summit, govts agreed that 'progress for women is progress for all'. Yet the 10-year review revealed a lack of political will as reflected in the lack of resources and insufficient budgetary allocations. That is why the theme for this year is 'Investing in Women & Girls'"--Secy-Gen Ban Ki-moon The recession weapon: Economic downturns have helped determine the results of four US presidential elections in the past five decades, by M Benjamin,. Bloomberg Markets, Apr '08 Gaza - Humanitarian situation worst since 1967: Poverty & unem- ployment up, hospitals suffering 12 hour a day power cuts, water & sewage system close to collapse, Coalition of 8 NGOs, 6 Mar 08 (A Humanitarian Implosion) New travel & tourism report highlights importance of environmental sustainability: Switzerland, Austria & Germany still top the rankings, acc to the 2nd annual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, World Econ Forum, 4 Mar 08 (Highlights | Rankings [pdf]) Newsroom: Wikileaks champions whistle blowing after US court triumph--A Swiss bank goes after the Web site in court after it post- ed copies of internal documents indicating the co. helped customers launder money illegally, Ag. France-Presse (courtesy myadsl/S Af- rica), 4 Mar 08 (Web site) Robert Shiller: How a bubble stayed under the radar--One great puzzle about the recent housing bubble is why even most experts didn't recognize the bubble as it was forming, says Yale economist, NYT (free registr reqd), 2 Mar 08 Padma Desai: Russia's democratic path--The West underestimates the prospects for the gradual emergence of a democracy in the land of Stalin and Lenin, says Columbia Ctr Transition Econ dtr, News- week, 29 Feb 08; and Marshall Goldman: Putin should follow George Washington--When he vacates the pres.'s office in May, Putin will be the only leader since Stalin to leave office more popular at the end of his term than he was at the beginning, acc to Harv Russia expert, Moscow Times (courtesy Russia Profile), 22 Nov 07 (Oxford U Pr) Asian airports among top performing in worldwide survey: South Korea, Malaysia & Singapore rank in the top 3, based on the results from nearly 200,000 questionnaires completed by passengers, Air- ports Council Intl, 25 Feb 08 Boardroom: S Anthony & B Gambill--100 days to disruption:"We've noticed a disturbing pattern. If we check back with a company 60 days after a one-time idea-generation workshop, we often find that nothing has happened. Why?," Forbes, 8 Feb 08 Can Latin America dodge subprime shock?: The region is showing resilience to the US slowdown, but experts are divided on whether it is now less vulnerable to outside shocks, IMF Survey, 5 Feb 08 Nicolas Retsinas: A house divided--Investment or shelter?: For dec- ades Americans viewed their homes as a safe harbor, a place to put down roots. But the last decade saw the rise of housing as an invest- ment opportunity.What comes next?, asks Harv Jt Ctr Housing Stud. dtr, HBS Work Knowl, 23 Jan 08 Forum chair welcomes hedge fund industry initiative on best practice standards: The standards in the report can play a role in helping to enhance resilience in the global industry and mitigate systemic risk, Fin. Stability Forum, 22 Jan 08 (Hedge fund industry grp[pdf] | Exec sum) $100 oil--Moving deeper into uncharted territory: The high oil price of 1980 was at the start of the worst 3-year period of econ growth of the past 4 decades. For the oil price to potentially play a similar role now, prices would have to average from $100 to $120 for 6 mos. to a year, Camb Engy Res Assoc, 3 Jan 08 New prescription for poverty: According to the World Bank, close to one billion people around the world live on less than a dollar a day. This despite decades of well-meaning development programs.A team of economists at MIT says it's time for a new approach, by DBaron, Public Radio Intl, 19 Jun 07 Posted: 25-29 Feb 08 The Wild, Wild East--Beyond the Iraqi oil boom: Last Aug, the Kurdistan Regional Govt defied Baghdad and passed its own statute setting out the terms by which its oil fields will be developed. That act triggered an oil rush, Conde Nast Portfolio, Mar '08 (w/ link to: Boomtown, Iraq) Moises Naim: Can the world afford a middle class?--The middle class in poor nations is fastest-growing segment of world's popula- tion. While this is good news, it also means humanity will have to adjust to unprecedented pressures, Foreign Policy, Mar/Apr '08 New report shows London still No1 globally: A report commissioned by the City of Lond. Corp says the 5 leading intl global financial cen- ters are Lond, NY, Hong Kong, Singapore and Zurich, Global Finan- cial Centers Index, 28 Feb 08 (Exec sum and full report [pdf] | Tax- ation & Fin Svcs Biz Location) Weak and failed states--Who they are, why they matter: The percep- tion of these states changed after 9/11, when the 2nd-poorest nation in the world became the foundation for the most significant strike ever on US territory, Brookings/Ctr for Global Development, 26 Feb 08 (Index of State Weakness) Coffee/tea break: Letter from North Korea--The flight from Beijing lasted only one hr twelve mins, but it took us into a different world. There are 260 of us--musicians from NY Philharmonic, staff, board members, patrons & 60 from media, by B Rosen, Huffington Post, 25 Feb 08 New leader to benchmark London for financial growth: Realizing that fin. industry must serve as next growth engine besides manufac- turing amid fast-ageing society, Pres Lee promises CEOs he would support eliminating unwanted barriers, Korea Times, 25 Feb 08 (Fin. benchmark | Fin. hub initiative) Allan Meltzer: Why the crisis?--Finding scapegoats and passing new legislation may satisfy the public, but it will do nothing to prevent a similar crisis a few years from now.The right question to ask is: what incentives encouraged traders & firms to buy & sell subprime mort- gages?, American Mag, 20 Feb 08 R McKinnon & S Hanke: A rescue plan for the dollar--It's time for Bush administration to put some teeth in its 'strong' dollar rhetoric by encouraging a coordinated,joint intervention by leading central banks to strengthen & put a floor under the dollar, Wall St J (courtesy Cato Inst), 27 Dec 07 India's record-high capital inflows pose policy challenge: Its econ- omy's recent stellar performance is attracting large capital inflows. Although a boon, the inflows also complicate monetary & exchange rate policies, IMF Survey, 4 Feb 08 Russia and Europe: The West views the 90's as a time of a liberal economy & democracy. But many Russians view it as a time when a small group of people cheated the nation - some oligarchs & Western banks & advisors, EBRD, 23 Jan 08 (Russia in the world) (OECD--Investing | More info) Kenneth Rogoff: Dog days for super dollar--"UC Berkeley's Obst-feld and I have been warning for some time that without pro-active policy adjustments, the dollar is vulnerable to a sharp collapse," Proj Syndicate (courtesy Daily Times/Pakistan), 19 Dec 07 Michael Porter: Business and innovation-Technology clusters (letter to editor): Cluster-policy thinking is very different from 'industrial-policy' thinking, though many lump the two together, Economist [scroll], 15 Nov 07 (Fading luster of clusters) Henry Rowen: The curious life of clusters--Market forces create them (with Silicon Valley as prime example), but govts often like to accelerate process. That implies bureaucrats know how to do so, Far Eastern Econ Rev (Summary | Full text), Jul '07 [courtesy Insead & Stanford] (Reuters--Spore biotech | 'Dolly'-creator) Technology and innovation in financial services--Scenarios to 2020: Fin. services' transformation is examined, with 3 scenarios -'Global Ivy League', 'Next Frontier' and 'Innovation Islands'- exploring how globalization and innovation will reshape sector, WEForum, 24 Jun 07 (Exec sum, pdf, 1.3Mb) Benjamin Olken: The problem of corruption--Despite the importance of the problem, there is relatively little evidence, and hence little con- sensus, on how to best fight it, Boston Rev, Mar/Apr '07 (Author's field photos--One | Two) {Spark-courtesy NYT} Posted: 18-22 Feb 08 South American foreign ministers meet counterparts from Arab world: Argentina hosts more than 30 nations, which are meeting to follow up on a '05 Brazil summit, AP, 21 Feb 08 (Nations pledge trade, cooperation) [courtesy Daily News/Egypt & pr-inside/Austria] World Bank selects two companies for program to boost investment in emerging market bonds: To promote institutional investment in local currency bonds of emerging markets, Bank announces selection of invest. firm Pimco and data/index provider Markit, Intl Fin Corp, 19 Feb 08 (Gemloc) Global investor confidence index rises in Feb: North American index rises but European index falls, with Asia-Pacific index treading water and barely rising, State Street Global Markets, 19 Feb 08 (Info, incl FAQ) Ban on Suu Kyi shatters hopes for Myanmar polls, say analysts: After stating draft constitution is done, foreign minister says it would bar detained leader from planned elections, Ag.France-Presse (cour- tesy Turkish Press), 19 Feb 08 (Crisis Grp--After the crackdown) Pakistani stocks open strong after peaceful polls: Stocks open higher after an election far less violent than feared, but dealers say likely formation of parliament hostile to Musharraf could prove negative, Reuters, 19 Feb 08 (Pak. investors should be 'overweight') Jeremy Siegel: Is a collapse in the cards?--It's a myth that since al- most all stock markets went up and down in unison during this crisis, intl diverification is no longer an effective strategy for investors, Time, 14 Feb 08 Development Cooperation Report--A scorecard of aid successes and failures: Has development aid improved the lives of people living in developing nations over the past 5 years?, OECD, 6 Feb 08 (Report) Diana Farrell: Gulf states must use oil wealth wisely--Oil revenues of six Gulf states will net up to $6.2 trillion in profits over next 14 years, or more than twice UK economy today or 4 times total profits of Global Fortune 500 cos. combined, Business Week, 5 Feb 08 Nathan Nunn: Slave trade and African underdevelopment--Recent research suggests that without slave trades, 72% of Africa's income gap with the rest of world would not exist today, VoxEU, 8 Dec 07 (Author) {Spark-courtesy WSJ} US agencies face competing priorities in enforcing embargo on Cuba: The 48-year embargo aims to deny resources to regime. Since '01, agencies have changed rules in response to new laws. Now, several factors hinder its enforcement, Govt Accountability Ofc, 30 Nov 07 (US democracy assistance for Cuba needs better oversight) Jeffrey Sachs: Ending malaria deaths in Africa--One of the world's worst killers can be stopped soon if we make the investment, Scientific America, Oct '07 James Poterba: Tax reform--'The pres.'s tax panel considered 3 mo- tives for reform: simplifying tax code, making distribution of tax bur- dens fairer, & promoting long-term econ growth. In practice, these 3 objectives are often in conflict,' Sen. Fin. Cmte testimony, Aug '06 [pdf] (New NBER pres) Kosovo--Assessment of Monetary & Fin. Systems Dept's technical assistance program: This aid has been provided under special cir- cumstances since it is not member of IMF or World Bank, IMF, Jun '06 (Toward Growth and Devel. in Kosovo, w/ overview) [pdf] Nook & cranny: Can one serve the public & survive public service? --Whistleblowing is a difficult road not only professionally, but also personally, with many losing their jobs & careers. 3 nonprofits join forces to help govt employees with a how-to guide, Accountability Grps, Jun '05 (w/ link to ch 1) << Previous Home Next >> Copyright (c) 2001-2009 Leonardo L. Sta. Romana All rights reserved. |
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