Economics and Globalization Publications
A Review of "My Country: Insights to Understand and Change Mexico"
Feb 01, 2012Eric L. Olson, Senior Associate at the Mexico institute, has reviewed Denise Dresser's book titled "My Country: Insights to Understand and Change Mexico". The review appears on page 10 of the recent issue of 'Americas Quarterly' for winter the of 2012. more
South Africa, the East African Community, and the U.S.-Africa Policy Conundrum
Feb 01, 2012The perception that Africa takes a backseat to Asia in President Barack Obama’s foreign policy view obscures a compelling strategic landscape the administration could construct were it ever to elevate the attention it apportions to Africa. more
A Better Way to Fund the Government on Time
Sep 20, 2011Congress will not celebrate fiscal new year’s eve Sept. 30. That’s because: (a) it will not be in town; and (b) it will have nothing to celebrate. more
Mixed Records of Success for Joint Committees
Sep 06, 2011If a camel is a horse designed by a committee, is a duck-billed platypus a duck conceived by a bipartisan, joint committee of Congress? We may soon know, as the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction is mandated to report additional budget savings of at least $1.5 trillion over the next decade by Nov. 23. more
Debt Deal Shows How Process Becomes Policy
Aug 02, 2011If you got the impression during the debt limit imbroglio that our leaders were creatively trying to extricate themselves from a box of their own making, you’ve been cribbing from Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s manual: Crises (fabricated or not) can advance worthy goals—even restoring fiscal sanity. It’s getting there that sometimes seems insane. more
The Cuban Economy: Recent Trends
Aug 01, 2011This publication examines the contemporary state of Cuba’s economy at a time of great transformation through the use of econometric and other macroeconomic analysis tools. more
Certification: The Path to Conflict-Free Minerals from Congo
Jul 21, 2011The conflict minerals movement is gaining traction. The movement is a pragmatic effort to address one of the principal drivers of atrocities and conflict throughout Congo’s tortured history: the scramble for control of Congo's vast mineral resources. In eastern Congo today, these mineral resources are financing multiple armed groups, many of whom use mass rape as a deliberate strategy to intimidate and control local populations. Armed groups and military units earn hundreds of millions of dollars per year by trading four main minerals: the ores that produce tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold. This money enables the militias to self-finance their campaign of brutal violence against civilians, with some of the worst abuses occurring in mining areas. more
Trade & Economic Development
Jul 14, 2011This paper is intended to promote discussion as to the role that trade can play in speeding development in Africa and the possible steps that can be taken to enable Africa to participate more fully in the global market. It does not cover all the barriers to expanding trade by African
countries. Other important topics – notably infrastructure, especially ports and roads, and corruption – are discussed in other conference papers. It also does not include issues that are not directly related to trade and which can only be dealt with in the longer term, such as improved
health and education, which were critical components of the success of the Asian “tigers”. more
Pilfering the Peace: The Nexus Between Corruption and Peacebuilding
Jul 12, 2011How might the best practices of peacebuilding be applied to anti-corruption? Based on interviews with trainers and staff of the Burundi Leadership Training Programme (BLTP) of the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, this article explores possible answers to that question in light of a successful peacebuilding effort. The author also flags ideas for future projects and research at the nexus of the two fields.
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