Showing 1 - 10 of 30
Is Asean ready to abandon coal?
Oped, Published on 14/06/2024
» Coal remains critical for providing secure and affordable energy, supporting economic growth, and enabling a just energy transition in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Scrapping coal without prudent energy planning could drag Asean member states (AMS) into a self-inflicted energy crisis.
Still haunted by Washington Consensus
Oped, Published on 11/06/2024
» In 1989, the British economist John Williamson christened what was to become the defining intellectual export of the era of globalisation: the Washington Consensus. Initially a reference to the policies adopted to tackle macroeconomic turmoil in Latin America, the term quickly morphed into a canonical "ten commandments" of development.
The high cost of GPT-4o 'giveaway'
Oped, Published on 08/06/2024
» With the launch of GPT-4o, OpenAI has once again shown itself to be the world's most innovative artificial-intelligence company. This new multimodal AI tool -- which seamlessly integrates text, voice, and visual capabilities -- is significantly faster than previous models, greatly enhancing the user experience. But perhaps the most attractive feature of GPT-4o is that it is free -- or so it seems.
Economic goals facing Mexico's new president
Oped, Published on 07/06/2024
» Mexico's first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, will take office on Oct 1, and for at least the first half of her six-year mandate, the coalition of parties that brought her to power will have a majority in both houses of Congress.
Eyeing climate change, follow science, warily
Oped, Bjorn Lomborg, Published on 06/06/2024
» We endlessly hear the flawed assertion that because climate change is real, we should "follow the science" and end fossil fuel use. We hear this claim from politicians who favour swift carbon cuts, and from natural scientists themselves, as when the editor-in-chief of Nature insists "The science is clear -- fossil fuels must go".
Thailand wants faster inflation
News, Daniel Moss, Published on 06/06/2024
» It's hard to find a leader anywhere these days who will argue the case for faster inflation. Politicians would rather drink hemlock than call for a renewed acceleration; they are often too busy nodding sympathetically at what their opponents call a cost-of-living crisis. But there is a kingdom where calling for more elevated prices, sooner, isn't off limits. In fact, the government embraces the concept.
Leave no farmer behind
News, Editorial, Published on 03/06/2024
» Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently launched an initiative aimed at transforming Thailand, already a major food exporter, into a global agriculture hub. Such an ambition is not new for the government, but the plan faces numerous challenges.
Being protectionist and world leader isn't possible
News, Published on 31/05/2024
» President Joe Biden likes to call the United States "the indispensable nation". By that, he means that America is the only power simultaneously mighty and benevolent enough to preserve whatever is left of a liberal order -- one in which rules and multilateral institutions govern, among other things, a system of relatively free international finance and trade.
Beyond the hype: Gauging AI's true economic impact
Oped, Published on 30/05/2024
» According to tech leaders and many pundits and academics, artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform the world as we know it through unprecedented productivity gains. While some believe that machines soon will do everything humans can do, ushering in a new age of boundless prosperity, other predictions are at least more grounded. For example, Goldman Sachs predicts that generative AI will boost global GDP by 7% over the next decade, and the McKinsey Global Institute anticipates that the annual GDP growth rate could increase by 3-4 percentage points between now and 2040. For its part, The Economist expects that AI will create a blue-collar bonanza.
How green is the energy from our hydro dams?
Oped, Published on 29/05/2024
» Thailand’s National Energy Plan (NEP), a blueprint for the country’s energy strategy from 2023 to 2037, has earned praise for its noble goal of increasing the use of clean, renewable energy. The plan states that by 2050, half of the electricity consumed locally must be clean and renewable energy — solar cells, wind, biomass, small nuclear and hydro dams.