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This article is just one out of many which focus not on economic development but on economic growth. I have to admit that I am occasionally annoyed by the fact that most emphasis is always put on the pure increase in the real GDP or share of an industry relative to the country's economic performance. I think we should much more often apply a more expansive review of the economic growth, which is economic development. The latter tells you a lot more about the health, education, and income factors and can serve a very useful purpose in the context of what I call "holistic growth" that comprises different elements, not just purely economic performance as such. While I am happy to hear that Switzerland is doing great and its largely highly skilled workforce based economy is in the expanding phase, I am much more eager to hear how people have more disposable income, better healthcare system,... which is fortunately the case for Switzerland, however, also the perpetual growth in Switzerland has been faced with an increasing fear of possible rising unemployment rates.

COLÓN, Panama - On one end of the Panama Canal, the nation's capital gleams with new skyscrapers; a subway, the first in Central America, is under construction; and new malls and restaurants fill with patrons. The city fancies itself a mini-Dubai on the Pacific. Can anybody here say "perfecto!"? I hope so, because it's really not that hard to say. Panama has had a huge amount of economic growth but, just as our economics text book said this weak, economic prosperity does not mean prosperity for all. In Colon, a name which I cannot spell properly because I have no access to accents on this computer, the streets run brown with sewage and there's more crime than 3 Detroits combined... ok, maybe only 2 and a half. Just think of that city from Dishonored, the video game, but worse. But seriously, this is a perfect example how a macroeconomics can't predict the welfare of each individual.

Venezuela has joined Mercosur, six years after first applying to join the South American trading bloc. This article showcases features of economic integration, in this case customs union, which is a free trade area where members establish a common tariff and agree to other trade policies with non-member countries. Well, this article is particularly valuable also because it gives you that well-known sense of economic reality as a genuinely different economic world than that described in the economic theory. Countries cluster together for a mutual advantage, however, as opposed to comparative advantage concept and other highly cherished theoretical reasons, it always comes down to natural resources as vital sources of geopolitical influence, for instance oil, which is abundant in Venezuela. This can reasonably be inferred from the following quote: "Brazil said Mercosur was "also positioning itself as a global energy power in renewable and non-renewable resources". In the end, the disadvantages of economic integration are given, highlighting the fact that in economics there are perpetual advantages as well as disadvantages (influx of cheap agricultural products, little influence in decision-making processes). But then again, the disadvantages have to be explained within advantages in order to grasp the holistic situation (e.g. influx of cheap agricultural products forces Venezuelan farmers to cut down on their costs and improve on efficiency).

This article discusses steady economic growth in Uganda, namely 7% over the past 20 years. This has all been under the rule of Uganda's NRM party. In light of this week's discussion questions, this article does mention a cost resulting from the economic growth. That is that Uganda is now increasing its defense industry, which means increased violence.

US economies are still growing after thee great recession and according to economists the US should see an increase in economic growth by 2014. It is also mentioned that unemployment rate will continue to decline as economic growth becomes faster.

Increasing aggregate demand helps China, which is currently operating with a deflationary gap, to use its economic resources to a greater extent. The increase in real output is an increase in real GDP, so economic growth is currently in progress. However, the current situation is a very fragile one, according to the chief economist at ANZ in China: ""The current economic rebound remains fragile, and could falter with tightened monetary policy conditions." So it is now up to Beijing's monetary policy makers to sustain this economic growth...

This article talks of the Occupy Wall Street movement and its overall economic and political impacts on the society itself. For their cause they closed down a shipping port in Portland to try and cut corporate costs. The movements followers believe that these corporations are largely responsible for the current economic crisis faced by the US today. The political impact of this movement was a statement made by Republican pollster Frank Luntz who says he's "scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death." Luntz said he believed the movement is "having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism."

The article talks about the USA economic growth in 2013, which is surprisingly improving after 2012. However, Bernanke is expressing that the cut the Congress wants to make (like budget costs cuts) would stop and even decrease the slow economic growth the USA is facing.

This very brief CNN article informs that the general economic growth of Africa as a whole is expected to rise with approximately 6-7% in the future. Following the third world countries and their economies isn't the same as following wealthy countries and their respective economies, as the negative factors aren't considered as much in third world country as their level of development in the economy can't really be compared to i.e. Germany. The growth is vital, and highly benefits.

The article talks about the economic growth in the UK. It says that the economic growth increased because of the Olympics. It is a huge events and a lot of tourists came to the UK. There was an increase in revenue of hotels and restaurants.

Who doesn't love the Olympic Games?! So this article discusses how the Olympic games helped the UK regain economic growth. "The UK economy emerged from recession in the three months from July to September, helped by the Olympic Games. The economy grew by 1.0%, according to official gross domestic product figures (GDP), which measure the value of everything produced in the country." Due to the Olympic Games the UK had a lot of tourists come in from all around the world, therefore, creating more profit for the hotels, restaurants and touristic attractions.

While there was a lot of economic lingo in here that I didn't completely understand, what I did pick up was the use of price increases to help the government make more money. The government makes its money off the financial interactions between households and firms. This is done through income tax, sales tax, etc. Starting to sound familiar? So, by increasing the price on diesel, the government ensures that large transactions will be made between the household and the firm, meaning they get a bigger chunk of dough. But the political motive behind this is that the government can now use the extras cash-money to fund public programs and what not for social benefit.

The article talks about the economic development in Tennessee

The article talks about the effect of economic growth in China (Inflation rises)

This article discusses how the government is creating jobs because they want to help stimulate economic growth. There were many people people were unemployed "12.3m unemployed who have been without work for more than six weeks" and the creation of the jobs is due to the increase in taxes.

A lot of people have preached in the past about how we should destroy the social class system, about how the difference between wealthy and impoverished is an abomination and that the workers should rise up against their oppressive bosses and show them that the employers need their employees and not the other way around. However, most people probably haven't considered the economic angle to it. I hadn't, till I read this article, and I didn't more than the first few sentences to get me thinking. In a country where 10% can buy whatever they want and the other 90% can barely afford to feed their families, how do you get anything done. Those 90% probably do menial labor all day, creating goods and providing services for the 10% that act as their directors, and while this system works out fine for those 10%, your entire aggregate demand is still comprised of only the wants and needs of a tenth of your population. The fewer people you have with the ability to buy things, the smaller your macro-economic activity will be and, thus, your GDP. Now, while this kind of inequality is not fatal to a countries economic stability, per the previous reasons, it definitely puts it at a disadvantage to countries of equal wealth, resources, and population where demand is spread more evenly per capita.

This article describes how oil has become less elastic through the past years. It also discusses the balance between the scarcity of oil and the demand being supplied and the quantity demand. Oil is still in the ground, and it has been supplied frequently the past ten years, but there is some economical decisions to make to set the standard for the future of oil.

The demand of oil has been increasing over the past year which is playing a role on the demand and supply balance. Because the demand in oil is increasing, the price of the oil would also increase. It takes longer for oil to be drilled from the ground which causes the oil to take longer time and a change to the response in price. "In economic terms, the oil supply is becoming less elastic as new oil supplies come increasingly from unconventional oil." The demand for oil reflects on how much we need oil in our everyday life. Individual people can reduce the amount of oil they use by using public transportation, if where you want to go is close by. This saves gas and oil because you do not need your car and the bus would carry a lot of people.

This article describes the change in oil prices on the population. The article states that the supply of oil is becomming less elastic and therefore there is a increase in price. The way to win oil becomes harder, because deeper holes have to be made to extract it from the earth. The article furthermore looks into changes from an economical point of view. It looks at examples of what can be changed and where changes have been made.

China's economic growth picked up pace in the July-to-September period, the first rise in three quarters. The world's second-biggest economy grew 7.8% from a year earlier, up from 7.5% expansion in the previous quarter. The official figures also showed growth in industrial output, retail sales and fixed asset investment. After years of blistering growth, China has seen its pace of expansion slow recently and there have been fears that growth may slow further. China has set a growth target of 7.5% for the year. Analysts said the latest numbers indicated that it was likely that Beijing would meet this.

"At the heart of India's skewered development story lies the paradox between India's phenomenal GDP growth and its abysmal score on human development." And this is exactly what captures the idea of HDI as a composite indicator of economic development. India is the proof that despite enormous economic growth (GDP growth), there has been no economic development. Although HDI has its drawbacks and presents a skewed image of the reality, the educational and health perspective each correctly depicts the Indian situation, making India one of the countries with the least HDI.

This article is about increased foreign direct investment to China despite its weakening economic growth. Not only does China receive inflowing FDI, but it also invests outflowing FDI into other places such as Japan. The investment comes even as China's economy show signs of slowing from the stellar growth rates of years past as the government looks to shift the emphasis to structural reform rather than growth for its own sake. One pillar of the reform drive is to make the economy driven more by the service sector and consumers, ending its traditional reliance on investment and exports for growth. The obvious reason why foreign-based MNCs want to invest into China is because of increasing sales or decreasing their profits. The question is what kind of pull factors China has to attract such high levels of FDI. Stable economic environment, political environment, low labour costs are primal reasons.

The European Union and America are to open negotiations with the aim of creating the world's biggest free trade area worth €86bn (£75bn) within two years.

The article talks about the trade deficit in Europe. Prime minister Cameron wants to increase GDP by 0.5%. This would make a major difference to Europe's economy and could become a "game-changer". Cameron wants to accomplish this goal by breaking down trade barriers.

The European Union and America are to open negotiations with the aim of creating the world's biggest free trade area worth €86bn (£75bn) within two years. Breaking down the remaining trade barriers and securing a comprehensive deal will require hard work and bold decisions on both sides. EU and US economies account for nearly half of the world's economic output and a third of global trade, meaning that a transatlantic free-trade bloc would hold great sway over emerging economic superpowers China, Brazil and India.