Group items tagged

After the devaluing of the Chinese currency we now see exactly how much the Chinese economy has faltered- and who this effects.

I think the boom that was attributed to China's huge population has reached its near endpoint; the marginal output from each new worker is now so low (not contributing much) or negative (reducing productivity) that China's huge historic growth rate can only be further sustained by greater education and an increase in the human capital aspect.

It's interesting to look at China as a case study of a country of super rapid development and growth that has the ability to affect the global economy. The fact that China's growth is slowing down and stabilizing means that it is catching up to its earlier developed counterparts. Having read the cap and trade article first, I wonder how the policies of that sector (and the sector itself) will affect China's overall economy and to a more general extent the global economy. Will China's become like Germany? Who can say.

Really cool representation of India's rise, but also the inequality when the article mentions the "unconnected billion"

It will be interesting to see what type of role India plays diplomatically as the United States begins to favor the Indian economy.

Interesting to see how globalization has affected indian society. From what we learned about their protective economy to their shift to a more liberalized one.

Natural disasters and the inability to generate enough electricity are stalling most sectors of the Chinese economy. People are saying that it is hard to earn money. This may seem like a good thing for the US, but the Chinese economy is intricately linked with the American one -- it is certainly related to the global supply chain issues.

I find this article interesting as you always hear about the "rise of China" in the 21st century, and this article shows that the rise is having a few minor roadblocks.

I agree with Sam Denny that it's not often you hear about the roadblocks to the "rise of China", so this is a novel article in that regard (at least for me). I'd be interested to see how the Chinese government responds to this, if at all.

In our last few classes we have focused on Jamaica and how its relationship with the IMF has greatly impacted Jamaica's economy. As we all know, Greece is in desperate need of economic help, which is why finance officials from all over the world have come together to decide on how to rescue Greece. But that is easier said than done. This article mostly explains that the IMF wants to change their original agreement with Greece, but Germany, the biggest contributor to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) wants to keep the original policy.

I think it is interesting how the IMF's stance has varied between Jamaica and Greece. From what I understood from the movie, the IMF did not give Jamaica the time of day when it asked for a modification on its loan to make their economy improved and sustainable- their interest seemed more in making it a reliable market place for foreign exports. Greece, on the other hand, has exports that other rich consumer countries want (shoes, oil, and cars come to mind), so it gets greater consideration from the IMF. Since these consumer countries represent a significant portion of the voting power within the IMF, the interests of the IMF and of Germany are understandibly different: Germany wants its money back, and the other countries want Greece to reestablish a functioning economy so they can et their goodies. Side note: Germany has 6% of the voting power in the IMF, and the US has close to 17%, http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/memdir/members.aspx

Great find, Michelle! So relevant to our Jamaica discussion.

Really cool ideas being shared on how a modern city-state can develop its economy.

Interesting to see how just the geography of a country can shape its economic growth and international trades importance. Also how improving internal infrastructures affect international trade and domestic econmies.

- China's consumption boom is not enough to succour the world economy. - Today, rising from the once-modest streets is a gaudy building intended for a new kind of model citizen: consumers.

Definitely has a lot of interesting insights, particularly the relationship between tourism and consumption in China

It is interesting to note the effects of China's one child policy and how it affects the workforce and overall economy. In fact, it seems only logical that China's economy continues to struggle through the generations of only children. In my opinion, that was a obvious and significant flaw of the one child policy and I wonder how the government has prepared to address it in coming years as the work force continues to shrink.

This article looks at the unusual economic situation we are currently in, discussing growth in the absence of normality and the implications of Biden administration policy on our economy.

In Tokyo the IMF called on the US and Europe to try and resolve their debt crisis. The IMF believes that debt in richer western countries is actually bad for developing countries and damages the world economy as a whole. It is also mentioned that Asia is the most dynamic region right now economically and that with the west falling behind Asia can't be expected to pull the economy. This addresses the debt crisis in all of the west not just greece and spain.

Very interesting article, Jasper, why would "The IMF believes that debt in richer western countries is actually bad for developing countries and damages the world economy as a whole?" I hope we get to discuss this in class

The Iranian national currency, the rial has been in steady decline for months, and the only method that the government has used to combat the issue is to print more money-- not the best plan of action.

I agree with what Alexander said. I think it would be interesting to investigate whether or not the Obama administration has considered applying economic pressure to Iran in order to achieve diplomatic means. With Iran in such an unstable economic state (which I am surprised isn't covered more by American news media), why would the US government even consider using military force against Iran if the Ahmadinejad regime could be destabilized in another way. We'll see how Obama and Romney treat this issue in the foreign policy debate, as Obama could use an argument based on Iran's economic instability in going against Romney's position on using military force against Iran.

yes!

This is interesting because even though the computers have changed so much it is fairly rare to see it used as a weapon. Apparently there have been lots of cyber attacks and counter attacks between the US and Iran and defense secretary Leon E. Panetta said that the US was at risk of a "Cyber Pearl Harbor". This raises the question of whether cyberspace could be a new front for warfare.

This article demonstrates the threat that cyberattacks pose to governments, economies, and even the people. Throughout middle school children like me we were warned of the seriousness of cyberbullying and how it could truly damage the feelings of others. However, the threats of a Cyber world war could be drastic to people all over the world. While there is no hard evidence that the latest attacks have been sanctioned by the Iranian government, the attacks have increased the disdain between Iran and the United States. In many ways the conflict does resemble bullying. Iran wants to prove that they have some power over the United states by attempting to damage our economy. They are using this entirely new medium of cyberspace to let out this aggression. The question is whether we are on the brink of a cyber war and what the consequences will be to the economy and freedom of information.

Illustrating how the Bank's role in Latin America and the Caribbean has evolved in recent decades, countries in the region now turn increasingly to the institution for more than direct lending, including such services as risk insurance, commodity swaps, and climate adaptation finance.

The region is doing worse. "Latin America and the Caribbean finds itself in the fifth year of an economic slowdown and the second consecutive year of GDP contraction. Worsening external conditions coupled with domestic challenges have reduced expectations for regional growth to -0.7 percent in 2015, with economic activity projected to drop to -1.3 percent in 2016." But also, Mexico and the Caribbean are experiencing 2% growth, while South America is declining 1.7% or more. Why?

I think it is because (and this is just a theory, I do not know for certain) Mexico and the Caribbean have a direct relationship with the USA, which gives them extra economical assistance outside the World Bank.

A record-breaking 137 economies around the world have established reforms that make starting and operating small/medium-sized business easier. "Doing Business" is the World Bank Organization's annual report that measures the ease of business, and better scores on the report has a correlation with more income equality and less poverty. An especially interesting aspect of the 2017 installment is that it also added gender discrimination to the criteria when assessing a state.

Deflation has really destroyed Japan's economy. Japan is in even more trouble, especially due to its debt and graying population. Western powers fear that the same fate is in store for them, especially if they are unable to stimulate their economies.

While many predict that China's economy will overtake ours, inflation has been rising while wages have stagnated, resulting in high food prices, property speculation, and much discontent. It is difficult to say whether the economy is just stabilizing or about to slump.

Brussels wants to delve deep into the running of national economies. It should beware of digging too far

Why do people automatically assume that the nations with the most geographic proximity to one's own country are the best ones to form an international organization with? The EU appears to be suffering from a crisis of difference...In economic policy, political/cultural policy etc... Maybe it would have made more sense if like-minded countries teamed up rather than putting everyone close to each other together despite economy and political policy differences. Seems like that would make for a much more cohesive and eventually successful union.

"The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger"

After the US walked away from discussions on Syria, President Putin stepped up his country's military activity, with an enormous mobilization of first responders and civilians on the home front. In addition, the President redeployed nuclear weapons, making sure to leave some in place for American surveillance satellites to see. Mr. Putin also suggested the reopening of Russian military bases in Vietnam and Cuba. However, many see this as a distraction from the Russian economy, which is showing the first dip in income for the country's citizens since Putin assumed the Presidency in 2000. The nation's budget is also being heavily slashed, with healthcare and the military losing 33% and 6% of their funding, respectively. People inside Russia commented that the new budget leaves money for the military and police, and little else. Further speculation is that Mr. Putin is using the same strategy he employed in the Ukraine, which is to ramp up Russia's military and leverage that in diplomatic conversation with other nations. Some of Putin's comments also suggest that he wants to push Russia as a concern of the US Presidential election, and make sure that whoever the next President is will see Russia as a force to be reckoned with.