Markets

Twenty years have passed since the first Rio Earth Summit in 1992; yet today, the world is still marked by a complete failure to implement any of the three great treaties signed during that historic conference. Is Rio+20 doomed to...

The future of the planet is at stake in Rio. Without a real and lasting solution that recalibrates our current economic thinking at a systemic level, the scale and pace of change could soon push the planet past critical thresholds...

READER SUBMISSION – No one knows for sure what’s going to happen in Europe. But to suggest that a disorderly exit in Greece is inevitable, followed by the almost certain exit of Spain and Italy, seems hugely irresponsible given what’s...

We have never had to deal with problems of the scale facing today’s globally interconnected society. But decades of research demonstrate that a variety of overlapping policies at city, subnational, national, and international levels is more likely to succeed than...

Major emerging-market economies around the world are slowing, for reasons both shared and unique. Hardest to understand, though, is why India, where annual GDP growth has fallen by five percentage points since 2010, is underperforming so much relative to its...

When the truth is unimaginable, human psychology finds an alternative reality in which to dwell. That describes the global situation today, when the entire planet seems to be in denial about what is about to occur in the eurozone. When...

Growing inequality in the U.S. is not only killing the economy, but it threatens to undermine the nation’s values and identity. America today can no longer regard itself as the land of opportunity that it once was, with equality of...

Though six factors now suggest that US economy is slowly and steadily healing, a lot more needs to happen – indeed, urgently – to restore America's traditional vigour and vitality. NEWPORT BEACH – Six internal factors suggest that the United...

The global financial system is in desperate need of reform. But in the absence of international consensus on some key points, any reforms will be greatly weakened, if not aborted. Is there a single, coherent approach to resolving the problem?...

As the economic-policy debate in Europe and around the world shifts from fiscal austerity towards measures aimed at stimulating growth, smarter taxation will be essential to getting the balance right. That means focusing on energy and carbon taxes, which have...

The US Defense Department consumes more energy than any other department or sector in the country, spending around $20 billion annually by some estimates; but ambitious plans to make it the nation's green leader have been swept under the rug...

 In 2010, global donor aid for low-income countries reached $26.9 billion, leading to major successes in public health and saving millions of lives. Yet, there are still some who would have you believe that all the funds are going to...

The cooperative movements, which began in the 1800s, have sometimes struggled to live up to their ideals. Some fall victim to bad politics, weak governance, or mismanagement, while others are exposed to risks stemming from over-concentration. But as we search...

As recently as six months ago, one didn’t discuss in polite company in Madrid the possibility that Spain would leave the euro and restructure its debt.  The prospect was unthinkable and like many unthinkable things it could not be discussed....

With François Hollande’s defeat of Nicolas Sarkozy, Merkel has virtually no support left in the eurozone. As the world looks for signs that Europe’s new power duo can overcome political difference and work together to save the euro, almost all...