Showing 1 - 10 of 40
Rethinking global health finance
Oped, Walter O Ochieng & Tom Achoki, Published on 06/02/2026
» For the past half-century, the economics of global health were straightforward. Under the so-called "grant-based" approach, rich countries donate to poor countries, which use the funds to meet their populations' health needs. Success was measured by services provided or lives saved, rather than by balance sheets. While this model was far from perfect, the latest approach replacing it -- focused on using tools like guarantees and blended finance to crowd in private capital -- threatens to produce even worse outcomes.
Our tariff-era dollar, your problem
Oped, Qiyuan Xu, Published on 04/02/2026
» In 2025, the dollar index, which measures the greenback's strength against a basket of major currencies, fell by roughly 9.4%. Over the same period, the United States' average effective tariff rate rose by around 14.4 percentage points, from 2.4% to 16.8%, according to the Yale Budget Lab. Taken together, these shifts imply that, in the import trade domain, the US experienced an effective exchange-rate depreciation of around 24%.
India seeks strong growth as key tests loom
Oped, Anne O Krueger, Published on 02/12/2025
» In the aftermath of World War II, the end of colonial rule produced a wave of newly independent -- and mostly poor -- countries, which were labelled "developing economies".
Is Takaichi Sanae the 'Iron Lady' of Japan?
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 10/11/2025
» For the first time in its history, Japan's parliament has selected a woman, Takaichi Sanae of the Liberal Democratic Party, to be prime minister. In this sense, Ms Takaichi has already followed in the footsteps of her political idol, Margaret Thatcher -- the UK's first female PM. But whether she is remembered as Japan's own "Iron Lady" will depend on her ability to manage three key challenges: inflation, low female labour-force participation and a fraught geopolitical environment.
Cutting Asia's reliance on dollars
Oped, Yasuto Watanabe & Hiro Ito, Published on 02/10/2025
» The US dollar remains the world's leading reserve currency, but recent developments -- particularly President Donald Trump's unilateral economic diplomacy, including weaponisation of the dollar -- have fuelled doubts about whether it will maintain that status. While some of America's geopolitical rivals may hope to displace the dollar, the real challenge facing Asian economies is to manage the vulnerabilities created by their heavy dependence on it.
Global South will pay for trade war
Oped, Jayati Ghosh, Published on 22/04/2025
» US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs have unleashed economic chaos, roiling stock and bond markets and triggering panic around the world, especially in lower-income countries that rely heavily on exports to the United States. The result could be an entirely manufactured global recession, with the developing world bearing the brunt.
Backing Trump on tariffs, not on tone
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 17/04/2025
» I'm not a Donald Trump supporter. On the contrary, I dislike the US president for his abrasive behaviour. For Mr Trump, everything is nothing but numbers. Compassion has no meaning in his dictionary.
Asia must unite to survive Trump 2.0
Oped, Lee Jong-wha, Published on 01/04/2025
» US President Donald Trump has raised the spectre of economic and geopolitical turmoil in Asia. While individual countries have few options for pushing back against Mr Trump's transactional diplomacy, protectionist trade policies, and erratic decision-making, a unified region has a fighting chance.
Time to boost green investments
Oped, José Antonio Ocampo, Published on 04/03/2025
» The United Nations Conferences on Financing for Development have been great occasions for building consensus on global financing issues. The next meeting, set for mid-2025 in Spain, will continue the progress made previously in Monterrey (2002), Doha (2008), and Addis Ababa (2015), and preparations are already underway with the launch of two major background documents.
Are Trump's tariffs going to be worth it?
Oped, Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Published on 03/12/2024
» US President-elect Donald Trump's promise to impose a 60% tariff on imports from China and a 10-20% tariff on all other imports has triggered a public debate about whether such policies are really so bad. After all, a tariff is a consumption tax, and most economists favour taxes on consumption over income taxes.