Showing 21 - 30 of 100
Why Paris financing pact failed
Oped, Published on 21/07/2023
» The recent Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact late last month was touted by its organisers, including French President Emmanuel Macron, as a groundbreaking initiative to forge a "new contract" between the Global North and South that would address climate change and foster sustainable development. The fact that most G20 leaders did not even bother to show up, however, casts doubt on the feasibility of the effort.
Ensure fair wealth distribution
Editorial, Published on 16/07/2023
» Up until the pandemic, the economy was a reliable workhorse that delivered growth.
What local governments need to lead properly
Oped, Published on 08/07/2023
» Local governments are manning the front lines of our most important global battles -- from managing severe weather and other climate shocks to preparing for the next pandemic, ensuring health for all, rectifying longstanding racial inequities, and addressing housing affordability. Urban areas now account for over half the world's population, and their governments are uniquely positioned to understand and address their own communities' needs.
We need to act for our future generations
Oped, Published on 22/06/2023
» Conservatives often make a big show of worrying about the debt burden that we are passing onto our children. This moral argument featured prominently in congressional Republicans' refusal to support a routine increase to the US debt ceiling. The GOP supposedly is so committed to reducing spending that it is willing to hold the global economy hostage and risk permanent damage to America's reputation.
Don't ignore the climate elephant in the room
News, Published on 24/05/2023
» Now that the falsehoods and obfuscation of climate denialism have finally been silenced, addressing climate change has become the world's top priority. But time is running out, and the International Monetary Fund warns that any further delays in implementing policies to mitigate global warming will only add to the economic cost of the transition to a low-emissions economy. Worse, we still lack a concrete, pragmatic strategy for tackling the problem. Although economists have made a robust case for why carbon taxes are the best solution, this option has proven politically infeasible, at least in those countries that account for some of the highest emissions (namely, the United States).
SVB's collapse shows Fed failure to supervise banks
Oped, Published on 02/05/2023
» The aftershocks of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), while seemingly fading, are still reverberating around the world. Although Federal Reserve officials have taken pains to assure the public that the US banking system is sound, it is unclear why anyone should believe them. After all, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress the same thing just days before SVB's collapse in March.
US's semiconductor subsidy is counterproductive
Oped, Published on 06/04/2023
» Last year's US CHIPS and Science Act created large subsidies for investments in domestic semiconductor fabrication facilities (fabs) because microchips are essential to the US economy and national security. But while no one disputes the importance of chips (which are used in everything from cruise missiles to refrigerators), there are serious questions about whether subsidising such investments is the best way to secure a reliable supply.
Rethinking public debt as a positive
Oped, Published on 04/04/2023
» The unprecedented fiscal firepower used to protect the vulnerable from the harsh socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting economic contraction have pushed the average government debt level in the Asia-Pacific region to its highest since 2008.
How to fix the platform economy in digital era
Oped, Published on 25/03/2023
» Meta (Facebook), Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Twitter, and a few other tech companies have come to dominate what we see and hear on the internet, shaping hundreds of millions of people's perceptions of the world.
Taking risks and supporting local governance
Oped, Published on 24/03/2023
» A recent paper, prepared jointly by Chatham House and the Center on International Cooperation at New York University, estimated that close to 50% of the populations living in fragile and conflict-affected states were in contexts "where relations between a significant number of international actors and national authorities are estranged". Rather than being an outlier, Myanmar is tragically part of a new normal.