Opinion
Why Is Trump the Only Candidate With a Budget Proposal? Saturday, January 18th, 2020
An important job of any U.S. president is to propose an annual budget to Congress. Shouldn’t it be a basic job of every presidential candidate to propose one to the public? Isn’t a budget a critical moral and political document outlining what chunk of our public treasury should go to education..
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The Truth About the Trump Economy Friday, January 17th, 2020
As the world’s business elites trek to Davos for their annual gathering, people should be asking a simple question: Have they overcome their infatuation with US President Donald Trump? Two years ago, a few rare corporate leaders were concerned about climate change, or upset at Trump’s misogyny..
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Has the World Economy Reached Peak Growth? Thursday, January 16th, 2020
At the start of a new decade, many commentators are understandably focused on the health of the global economy. GDP growth this decade most likely will be lower than during the teens, barring a notable improvement in productivity in the West and China, or a sustained acceleration in India and the..
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De-evolution of Europe: The equation of Communism with Nazism Wednesday, January 15th, 2020
It was indeed cynical and out-of-touch for the EU (Parliament) to suddenly blame, after 80 years, the Soviet Union for triggering WWII. It is unwise (to say least) to resurrect the arguments surrounding the circumstances of the start of World War II. The historians have agreed, the history has been..
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A Transformative Deal for Nature
This October, representatives of the 196 parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will gather in Kunming, China, to finalize a new Global Biodiversity Framework. Like the 2015 Paris climate accord, this new agreement could mark a turning point in how we manage our..
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Protecting Trade Tuesday, January 14th, 2020
Toward the end of the last decade, globalization – the lowering of barriers to cross-border flows of goods, services, investment, and information – came under severe pressure. Populist politicians in many countries accused others of various economic wrongs, and pushed to rewrite trade..
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Incendiary Extinctions: Australian Fires and the Species Effect Friday, January 10th, 2020
Cocooned as it is from the world of science scepticism, the handling of the bush fire catastrophe unfolding in Australia is going to one of the more notable (non)achievements of the Morrison government. They were warned; they were chided; they were prodded. But the measures lagged and the flames..
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Lebanon’s Perfect Storm Thursday, January 9th, 2020
In retrospect, financial crises usually appear predetermined; but rarely do they offer much clarity about history’s direction. That is certainly the case in Lebanon today, where a predictable crisis has thrown the country into a state of deep uncertainty. Since Lebanon’s long civil war..
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Trump’s Gift to China Wednesday, January 8th, 2020
US President Donald Trump’s decision to order the assassination of Qassem Suleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander, has raised the specter, albeit still distant, of all-out war between the United States and the Islamic Republic. There is only one winner in this situation: China. With..
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The Dilemma of Central Banking Tuesday, January 7th, 2020
Low interest rates – both nominal and real – have been a persistent feature of advanced economies since the 1980s. How long, many now wonder, can the trend last? In 2015, the “Geneva Report” on the topic by the International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies and the Center for..
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Making Stakeholder Capitalism a Reality Monday, January 6th, 2020
For a half-century, American corporations (and many others around the world) have embraced shareholder primacy, which holds that the only responsibility of business is to maximize profits. But this principle is now being challenged by corporate leaders themselves, with the United States Business..
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Chinese Growth Really Can Be Faster
In November, I pointed out that, since the global financial crisis a decade ago, China has allowed annual GDP growth to fall gradually from over 10% to nearly 6%. While a decline was appropriate, I wrote, it is time to stem the slowdown with expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. Unexpectedly,..
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How Ownership Concentration Is Happening, and Why It Matters Friday, January 3rd, 2020
If the global economy were a chess game, few pieces would be left on the board. Most would be relegated to the role of bystanders, observing a concentration of power in the hands of an ever-dwindling number of global players. Now let us imagine that the pieces left standing are corporate entities,..
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Israel’s Democracy Fatigue Thursday, January 2nd, 2020
If any Western country is suffering from democratic dysfunction, it is Israel. With the country’s political leaders having again failed to form a government following the most recent parliamentary election in September, voters will head back to the polls in March 2020 for the third time in less..
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Dystopia Is Arriving in Stages Tuesday, December 31st, 2019
It is commonly believed that the future of humanity will one day be threatened by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), perhaps embodied in malevolent robots. Yet as we enter the third decade of the millennium, it is not the singularity we should fear, but rather a much older enemy:..
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A Turning Point for Development Aid Monday, December 30th, 2019
Since the 1960s, more than $4.6 trillion (in constant 2007 dollars) in gross bilateral and multilateral official development assistance (ODA) has been transferred to low-income countries. Yet extreme poverty and stagnant growth remain widespread. The message is clear: traditional North-South aid is..
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Getting Past Reagan
Three primary factors determine economic prosperity: human capital (the population’s education and skills); physical capital (the amount and quality of physical infrastructure, including machines, buildings, energy, and transport); and technology (scientific knowledge and its application). From..
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China’s Damaging Policy Disruptions
China’s economic growth is expected to have slowed to just over 6% this year, and it is unlikely to accelerate anytime soon. In fact, economic commentators generally agree that China’s economic performance in 2019 – the worst in nearly 30 years – could be the best for at least a decade...
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Why We Strike Again Sunday, December 29th, 2019
For more than a year, children and young people from around the world have been striking for the climate. We launched a movement that defied all expectations, with millions of people lending their voices – and their bodies – to the cause. We did this not because it was our dream, but because we..
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Inspiring Trip with my tough BOSS!! Sunday, January 19th, 2020
It was unnerving winter days in initial days of career. Been in hospitality sector, a jumbo team was fortified with the sold human capital base of Engineers, Architects,..
Putin’s Meaningless Coup Saturday, January 18th, 2020
Janus-Faced on Climate Change: Microsoft’s Carbon Vision Saturday, January 18th, 2020
What Could Spoil 2020? Friday, January 17th, 2020
