You are at: Home > News/Analysis, Page 8 ('08) | Previous | Next Posted: 19-23 May 08 Food prices remain high despite higher output: A new study indicates that the food import bill of developing nations is expected to reach $169b in '08, 40% more than in '07. By the end of '08 their annual food import basket could cost four times as much as it did in 2000, FAO, 22 May 08 On eve of Palestine Investment Conference, Bethlehem promotes more than Christmas: The town of Christmas is primping for the 3-day investors' conference which is drawing more than 1,000 busi- ness people, bankers & govt officials from the Palestinian territories, the Arab world & beyond, AP [courtesy Palest. MC], 20 May 08 (Invest. conference | World Bank--Economic report) M Kremer & assoc: The Hajj--Mecca and moderation: For many people in the West, Islam is increasingly associated with violence and terrorism. Does increased religious orthodoxy promote violence and intolerance?, Intl Herald Tribune, 20 May 08 Asean-led coordination and access key to Myanmar's recovery: The Bank says it has not received any request for financial support from the govt. But its experts in damage assessment and disaster recovery are poised to support the effort, World Bank, 20 May 08 (AP--Intl flotilla awaits Myanmar [courtesy Anchorage DN] | ADB may sup- port needs assessment in Myanmar) Bernard Kouchner: Burma--The Burmese situation is at the heart of an unusual conflict between political & humanitarian considerations. Access to victims of armed conflicts theoretically used to be more difficult, while the distribution of aid in the event of disasters used to be facilitated by the relative depoliticization of the situation. Yet in Rangoon, the cyclone isn't opening up the borders, writes French foreign min, Le Monde, 20 May 08 (UN--Focus on saving lives) Britain to back air drops to deliver aid to Burmese cyclone victims: Britain would support unilateral humanitarian intervention if the mil- itary govt's refusal to accept aid results in widespread deaths. The offer of a cooperative aid operation is being reinforced by the threat of an armada of UK, French and US ships discreetly assembling off the coast, London Times, 19 May 08 Eric Margolis: The politics of disaster relief--'Humanitarian interven- tion' may be coming to play the same role that 'peacekeeping' did in recent years - a way for foreign powers to insert their influence into Third World regions under the guise of good works, Khaleej Times/ UAE, 19 May 08 (AFP--Myanmar agrees to Asean-led cyclone aid [courtesy ChNewsAsia/Spore] | Asean Cmte disaster mgmt) Diversifying for growth: Leading economists met during the Bank's Annual Meeting to discuss the economic challenges ahead in transi- tion countries.Discussions centered on how best to promote diversifi- cation and sustain rapid productivity growth, EBRD, 18 May 08 (World Bank--Unleashing prosperity) World competitiveness results released: The US is no.1, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland & Luxembourg, IMD/Switz., 15 May 08 (Rankings | Yearbook site) [pdf] Thant Myint-U: The shared history of Britain and Burma--When Burma became independent in 1948, much the country had been under British rule for nearly a hundred years. Though Burma is in- creasingly in the news, there seems little curiosity about the shared colonial history, unlike India or Australia or Africa, writes Burmese historian & grandson of fmr UN Sec-Gen U Thant, Telegraph/UK, 11 May 08 (UN sec-gen visits cyclone-devastated areas) T Slayton & P Timmer: Unwanted rice in Japan can solve the rice crisis-if Washington and Tokyo act--Japan now has more than 1.5m tons of imported rice in storage; roughly 900,000 tons are from US. Those rice stockpiles end up with livestock operators, as govt stores the rice until the quality is suitable only as livestock feed, Ctr Global Dev, 9 May 08 (Kudos to Tokyo, Wash. on rice sales | Background) Emerging markets weather fallout from financial crisis: The market turmoil fallout is pressuring debt markets in some emerging markets. And the first real test of the attractiveness of investment in emerging bond markets will be if the US dollar or commodity price cycles turn, IMF Survey, 8 May 08 (Global bond market forum) James Burkhard: The price of oil--A reflection of the world: What has been driving oil prices upward? It is primarily the fundamentals of demand & supply, geopolitical risks & rising industry costs. The decline in the dollar's value has also played a role. One thing is clear. The price of oil will reflect major swings in the value of the dollar -both up & down, says CERA manag. dir, Testimony-US Sen Cmte on Energy/Nat Res, 3 Apr 08 Posted: 12-16 May 08 Canada involved in plans for controversial Myanmar summit: Can- ada risks being pulled into a growing controversy over an emergency UN summit which,UK's Brown said earlier,would take place in Asia, but his office then played that down by saying he was referring to a gathering by Asean, Canwest News, 15 May 08 (UN humanitarian chief to go to Myanmar) Asean assessment team expected in Burma today: A team of experts from the Assn of SE Asian Nations is due to arrive in Rangoon to assess the disaster relief requirements, Irrawaddy News (Burma/ Thai), 15 May 08 (Asean--Emergency rapid assessment team | Intl coalition of mercy | UN--Much bigger aid effort needed) The economic consequences of the quake in China: The largest earthquake to hit China in more than 30 years is likely to wreak great econ damage on Sichuan province & the nearby megacity of Chong- qing, but not on China as a whole, by J Chen, Forbes, 13 May 08 Strong signs of record rice production, but prices expected to remain high in '08: Production in Asia, Africa & Latin America is forecast to reach a new record level but prices could remain high in the short term, as much of the '08 crops will only be harvested by the end of the year, FAO, 12 May 08 (UN food task force site | Task force and IMF) Middle East, Central Asia oil output forecast higher: A new report analyzes the prospects for an oil price decline. It appears that specu- lation has played a significant role in the run-up in oil prices as the US dollar has weakened and investors have looked for a hedge in oil futures. As financial market conditions settle down, fundamentals should take over, IMF Survey, 12 May 08 (Reg.Econ Outlook) UN food agency steps up aid to cyclone-stricken Myanmar: The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator notes that the no. of those severely affected is bet. 1.2m-1.9m. He emphasizes that the death toll is ris- ing daily and 'could be anywhere bet. 63,000-100,000', UN News, 11 May 08 (UN 'Flash appeal' | Jt Logistics Ctr) Joseph Stiglitz: The urgent need to abandon inflation targeting--Developing nations now face higher rates of inflation, not because of poor macro-management, but because oil & food prices are soaring, says Nobel laureate, Project Syndicate(courtesy Business Day/South Africa), 8 May 08 Inflation risks have reemerged, says deputy head: The IMF's No.2 says that the inflation risk is back as a global challenge due to rising energy & commodity prices. He calls on govts to initiate steps to en- courage investment in energy, reduce biofuel subsidies, and improve agricultural policies, IMF Survey, 8 May 08 Martin Feldstein: Misleading growth statistics give false comfort--The recent govt report that US gross domestic product rose 0.6% in the 1st quarter was very misleading. Monthly data since Jan indicate that economic activity and GDP have been declining since the start of this year, acc to fmr CEA chair, FT(courtesy Harvard), 7 May 08 Mubarak and Bush to open forum on Middle East: The meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on 18 May will have as its theme 'Learning from the Future'. The program focuses on a series of futuristic scen- arios that explore the impact of long-term global trends on the region, World Economic Forum, 5 May 08 Seven questions--Mohamed El-Erian on the new global economy: The fmr invest. head of Harvard's endowment fund & now co-CEO of the world's largest bond investor shares his insights on the realign- ment of the global economy and why we aren�t prepared to handle it without significant risks of both market accidents & policy mistakes, Foreign Policy, May '08 The next great global currency--A survey: We asked some of the world's key experts, 'Ten years from now, what will be the next great global currency?,' International Economy, Apr '08 [pdf] Ensuring fragile states are not left behind--Factsheet: Donors have responded to the challenges posed by fragile states with more aid but aid flows to fragile states (like Afghanistan,Haiti, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan & Zimbabwe) continue to be uneven, irregular & fragmented, posted by OECD 20 Feb 08 [pdf] The N-11--More than an acronym: When we introduced the 'Next 11', our purpose was to identify those nations that could potentially have a BRIC-like impact in rivaling the G7 in size.They include Ban- gladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, S Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam, BRICs and Beyond, ch 11, posted by Goldman Sachs 23 Nov 07 [pdf] Posted: 5-9 May 08 Frustration growing at limited access to Myanmar cyclone victims: The UN humanitarian chief voiced disappointment at the limited progress made in gaining access to Myanmar, where some 1.5m people are believed to be severely affected by the recent cyclone, UN News, 8 May 08 (Situation reports--OCHA | Jt Logistics Ctr) Ernesto Zedillo: Governments as global investors--The best antidote for sovereign wealth funds against suspicion and investment protect- ionism is transparency, Forbes, 8 May 08 The competitive position of the Gulf as a global financial center: The Gulf states, in recent years, have felt a need to diversify their economies away from oil & gas. And they have followed a number of paths to develop their financial sectors, Univ Reading (courtesy City of Lond Corp), May '08 [pdf] The cyclone's impact on Myanmar's livelihoods and food security, agriculture & fisheries: The cyclone hit 5 states which are predomin- antly agric societies, with rural poor the worst hit. Damage to annual crops is expected, esp on rice, oil palm and rubber plantation, FAO-ReliefWeb, 7 May 08 (Rice economy | UN Jt Logistics Ctr--Situation report) Tens of thousands riot in Mogadishu in eruption of anger over food prices: Food prices have been affected by the plummeting Somali shilling, which lost nearly half its value this year, dropping from 17,000 shillings to the US dollar to 30,000 amid growing insecurity & a market clogged with counterfeit notes, Independ./UK, 6 May 08 Intl Federation launches emergency appeal for Myanmar: The appeal seeks $5.9m in response to a request for support from Myanmar Red Cross to assist 30,000 families for 6 mos. Communities across the nation's mid-south are reeling after a massive cyclone devastated vast populated areas, Red Cross/Crescent-ReliefWeb, 6 May 08 (UN OCHA situation report) Myanmar cyclone stirs more rice supply fears: The cyclone & flood- ing in nation's two major rice growing areas have 'potentially serious effects' for food supply in two other impoverished nations, Reuters, 5 May 08 (US Agri stats--World rice trade) Asian Bank ready to provide fiscal support to help govts feed poor: The Bank will provide immediate budgetary support to the hardest hit nations in the region to alleviate their fiscal burdens & cushion the impact of rising food prices on the poor, says pres., AsDB, 3 May 08 (Crisis response | Is poverty reduction coming to an end?) (Reg. Econ Outlook--IMF | Inst Intl Fin) In hungry world, Japan's farmers are stuck with high-priced rice: What's truly otherworldly about this nation's rice is its price. The price of rice on intl markets has nearly doubled since Jan, to about $1,000 a ton. But that remains an absolute steal compared with rice grown here, by B Harden, WashPost (free registr reqd), 2 May 08 Dani Rodrik: Financial crisis learning opportunity for regulators --Non-libertarians recognize the fatal flaw in the libertarians' argument: financial blow-ups entail what economists call a 'systemic risk' - everyone pays a price, acc to Harvard economist, Proj Synd (cour- tesy Korea Times), 1 May 08 New directions for understanding systemic risk: The stability of the financial system & the potential for systemic events to alter its func- tioning have long been critical issues for central bankers. Recent events suggest that older models of systemic shocks in fin. system may no longer fully capture the possible channels of propagation and feedback, Natl Academy of Sciences, 31 Oct 07 (Conference report) William Pesek: Tokyo should put its mouth where its money is, Bloomberg, 23 Apr 08 (Asia's London | Jap Inst Glob Com--Making Tokyo a first-rate intl financial center, w/ link to: Toward the estab- lishment of truly competitive financial and capital markets) Michael Deppler: Will emerging Europe adjust safely to less benign times?--Most economies in the region have been growing at a rapid clip in recent years. But the surge in global financial turbulence and weakening global growth are casting doubt on whether the recent pace of convergence is sustainable, Dnvenik/FYR Macedonia (cour- tesy IMF), 23 Apr 08 (Reg. Econ Outlook) Preparing for China's urban billion--Interactive graphic: If current trends hold, nearly one billion people will live in China's cities by 2025. By pursuing a more concentrated urbanization path guided by action to boost urban productivity, China's leaders would maximize the benefits to its economy and environment, McKinsey, Mar '08 Russia--A smooth political transition: "We remain positive on the outlook for asset prices. Our equity strategists' favorite themes are the consumer, telecoms & retail sectors, as well as steel & pipe cos., & other names poised to benefit from state's infrastructure spend- ing," BRICs and Beyond, ch 2, posted by Goldman Sachs 23 Nov 07 [pdf] Posted: 28 Apr-2 May 08 Bush offers $770m for food crisis: The US pres. offers $770m in international food aid to help ease the effects of surging food prices that have sparked riots in some countries, BBC News, 2 May 08 Brazil celebrates S&P's raise of debt rating to investment grade: The nation celebrates a landmark improvement in debt rating, as Stand- ard & Poor's Ratings Services issued a long awaited-upgrade that sent its stocks soaring, AP (courtesy pr-inside/Austria), 1 May 08 Forum discussion pivots on worker protection in a global economy: The global working population has doubled in the past two decades, undermining the bargaining power of labor, Harv Kennedy School, 30 Apr 08 (Freeman--Human resource leapfrogging | IZA Prize in Labor Economics) Ban Ki-moon to lead task force to tackle global food crisis: The announcement came after a 2-day meeting of the Chief Exec Board, which brings together 27 heads of UN agencies. The board called on intl community to urgently provide $755m in emergency funds, as the first of a series of measures to be taken, UN News, 29 Apr 08 Sovereign wealth reaches $3.5trn in '07, growing by 24%: Nigeria has grown its sovereign wealth the most rapidly over the last 5 years, followed by Oman & Kazakhstan. The largest player remains China, followed by Russia & Kuwait, Global Insight, 28 Apr 08 (IMF and 25 sovereign wealth funds) N Birdsall & A Subramanian: Food and free trade--To prevent future crises, the fundamental incentives in agriculture need to be fixed, which in turn means efficient and food-friendly trade policies around the world. But not only are we far away from that objective, we are moving in the wrong direction, say Ctr pres & senior fellow, Wall St J, 25 Apr 08 Senegal's president says India to fully supply rice needs: The pres. said India would supply the nation, where there have been protests vs rising food prices, with its rice needs for the next 6 years. New Delhi hosted an India-Africa summit in early April, Ag.France-Presse (courtesy Terra Daily/US), 24 Apr 08 (Reuters--US agri secretary reassures no rice shortage) Portfolio: Interview with Eugene Fama--A conversation with the intellectual father of efficient market theory, passive portfolio man- agement, and value and small cap mutual funds, Minneapolis Fed, Dec '07 R Thaler & C Sunstein: Economic policy for humans--If the next pres. appointed a 'behavioral economist' as chairman of Council of Econ Advisors, what sort of advice should we expect to hear, with mortgage crisis as an example?, Boston Globe, 17 Apr 08 (Yale U Pr--Nudge: Improving Decisions About...){BG link courtesy WSJ} Big questions facing the oil industry for '08: The global oil industry faces a set of Big Questions that will have implications for corporate leaders, investors, policymakers, & energy users. These questions in this Decision Brief identify the drivers that will shape future strategic choices, Cambridge Energy Res Assoc, 13 Mar 08 Hong Kong maintains top spot in Capital Access Index; US drops from top 10: Access to capital is of increasing importance in today's global credit squeeze. The leaders acc to the Index are Hong Kong, followed by UK, Canada, Singapore & Sweden, Milken Inst, 4 Feb 08 (Rankings [pdf]) From our archive: Beyond the market -- Designing nonmarket ac- counts for the US: GDP is focused on the production of goods and services sold in markets and reveals relatively little about important production in the home and other areas outside of markets, Natl Academy of Sciences, Dec '05 GDP 'outdated' as indicator of wellbeing: The European Union is working on a new tool to measure the wealth & wellbeing of nations beyond the traditional GDP. This was the topic of a recent high-level conference, EurActiv, 20 Nov 07 (Conf--Beyond GDP | Pioneer: Simon Kuznets--Extended bio by Fogel [pdf]) Mouse & wo/man: Trends in badware--What Internet users need to know: The short report is a plain-English explanation of badware threats to user privacy and security based on research at Harvard, Oxford and Consumer Reports, StopBadware.org, 2 Oct 07 Posted: 21-25 Apr 08 Jeffrey Sachs: How to end the global food shortage--The world saw it coming but did little. Now the global food shortage has become a crisis. Here's how to end it, Time, 24 Apr 08 (EuroNews--Brazil ends rice exports) Bruce.Tolentino: Averting the impending food crisis--Immediate multilateral action is crucial to curb the spiral in price of rice. The Assn of SEAsian Nations, which includes 2 of world's leading rice exporters,Thailand & Vietnam, and the biggest importers, Philippines & Indonesia, already has a base to build from, Asia Found., 23 Apr 08 {Info courtesy of ABS-CBN News/Phil.} Volatility on the rise, risks loom in Asian bond markets: The most immediate & visible fallout from the global credit market turmoil has been an increase in volatility in emerging E Asian bond markets, says Asia Bond Monitor's latest issue, AsDB, 23 Apr 08 US 'plans cut to global agricultural research funds': As food prices rise, US support for agricultural research centers wilts, SciDev.net, 22 Apr 08 (Science Mag [free summary]) Boardroom: Brilliant business books--Three CEOs help us pick a winner | The most influential academics in the business world--Part of The 73 biggest brains in business, Conde Nast Portfolio, May '08 Asian rice crisis puts 10 mln or more at risk: Q&A with Peter Tim- mer--Soaring global food prices have led to a precarious situation in Asia, where govt efforts to restrict rice exports are exacerbating shortages, says leading agri econ expert, Ctr Global Dev, 21 Apr 08 Jeffrey Sachs: The African green revolution--Until recently, donors sent only food aid in response to the deepening agricultural crisis. Now they are waking up to the one real solution, Scientific Ameri- can, Apr '08 (Latest World Development Indicators) Emerging markets see sharp decline in corporate funding: Capital inflows to the corporate sector in emerging markets have witnessed dramatic declines in recent mos., signifying spillovers from the fund- ing & credit risks in mature markets, IMF Survey, 16 Apr 08 (Help- ing fill global securities data gap) Coffee/tea break: Jeffery Yablon--Taxing wisdom: A selection of the best observations about taxes, eg: "Tax simplification is compli- cated stuff"; or, "Beware of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors...and miss," American, Apr '07 Jason Furman: The concept of neutrality in tax policy--The tax sys- tem should strive to be neutral so that decisions are made on their economic merits & not for tax reasons,says Inst proj dir, Testimony-US Sen.Fin.Cmte (courtesy Brookings), 15 Apr 08 (Tax Policy Ctr--Fairer, simpler & more adequate) Let's focus on solutions--Philippines calls for regional meeting: The Intl Rice Res Inst is calling on intl community - with emphasis on donors - to start focusing on solutions to 'rice price crisis' as Phil. Agri Min called at IRRI meeting for Asian nations to meet on global rice situation, IRRI, 11 Apr 08 (What needs to be done?[pdf]) Extreme dry weather worsens food situation in Zimbabwe: Extreme dry weather in several provinces is likely to cause serious damage to the upcoming main maize harvest, which could aggravate an already precarious food security situation in the nation, FAO, 10 Apr 08 The new economics of outsourcing: Efforts to send IT work any- where but Bangalore are taking on added urgency as costs of doing work in India rise and the dollar sinks, Business Week, 7 Apr 08 The $10b question--Which investments work best?: If Latin Amer/ Caribbean govts and aid agencies had $10b to solve the most urgent problems facing the region, how should the money be spent?, IADB, Mar '08 (Reg. Econ Outlook--IMF | Inst Intl Fin) Graphic: Global energy--Increasingly unsustainable: If govts don't act to change consumption patterns, world energy demand is pro- jected to grow by 55% during 2005-30, with use of coal rising the most in absolute terms, Finance & Dev., Mar-May '08 Amartya Sen: Poverty and famines - An essay on entitlement and deprivation--The Nobel laureate's book shows that famines happen not only because of lack of food, but because of inequalities in the ways food is distributed, id21, Jul '07 (Book | t-o-cont. | Polit.Econ- omy of Hunger) << Previous Home Next >> Copyright (c) 2001-2009 Leonardo L. Sta. Romana All rights reserved. |
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