Long Decisions: Exploring New Ways To Decide What To Do

July 30, 2015

By Michael Mainelli and Robert Ghanea-Hercock

Today, with a smart phone, any individual on the planet has access to the power of most recorded knowledge. Over the past two decades, connectivity has spawned social networks, chat rooms, usenets, blogs, wikis, bulletin boards and other ways of communicating. As we communicate more, and arm ourselves with more information, we face the difficult challenge of how to make decisions. If the First Enlightenment was about science – “How we know what we know”, then our Second Enlightenment might be about decisions.

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Greek Parliament Passes Debt Agreement, but European Democracy is on its Knees

July 30, 2015

By Jonathan Hopkin

Almost as soon as the Greek deal was agreed, it began to come apart at the seams. Passage of the necessary legislation through the Greek parliament led to Syriza splitting in two as Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, drew on the votes of the right to force through a deal which is worse than anything that was on offer before the referendum on July 5.

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Civilised Cities: A New Model of Sustainable Urbanisation with Chinese Characteristics

July 30, 2015

By Bao Zonghao

The title of the civilised city, which is awarded every three years since 2005, has been the highest comprehensive accolade for Chinese cities. Hundreds of cities and their residents in 31 municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions have strived for the title. A total of 85 cities were conferred with the title by 2015.

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What the Iran Nuclear Deal Means – and What it Doesn’t

July 30, 2015

By Scott Lucas

Iran and the 5+1/E3+3 Powers (US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia) have at last completed a comprehensive nuclear agreement after years of discussions and threats of conflict. The deal sets out requirements for keeping Iran’s nuclear programme from producing nuclear weapons, and establishes a timeline for lifting sanctions that have pushed the country to the brink.

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Overfished Ocean Strategy: Powering Up Innovation for a Resource-Deprived World

July 30, 2015

By Nadya Zhexembayeva

For most of the history of modern business, we have enjoyed falling prices on nearly all raw materials, which has made us dangerously oblivious to the shaky foundations of our global market economy. But the tides are turning: the new era is upon us. It is time to look into the facts – and to prepare a strategy for dealing with them.

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Recasting International Development in a Post-Recessionary World

July 30, 2015

By Stephen McCloskey and Gerard McCann

Globalisation has been a mixed blessing for international development. Below, Stephen McCloskey and Gerard McCann argue that greater resilience is required from development sectors to demand policy intervention, while generous resources are needed to push on from the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and finally eliminate the poverty gap between the global North and South.

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Globalization And Systemic Risk

July 30, 2015

By Ian Goldin and Mike Mariathasan

For most of the world’s growing number of inhabitants, greater connectivity has been a blessing. The world is connected; individuals are connected, firms are connected, and governments depend on each other more than ever. Below, Ian Goldin and Mike Mariathasan conclude that insufficiently managed globalization might drive us toward a world of overly complex interdependencies, with the resulting cascading shocks encouraging more local rather than more globally connected politics.

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After the Greek Referendum: Into Uncharted Waters

July 30, 2015

By Dan Steinbock

The triumph of the “no” vote in the Greek referendum was not a mandate for Grexit, but a new starting-point to talks. But is there room for a compromise any longer?

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Helping Disabled Youth Get Good Jobs

July 30, 2015

By Aneel Karnani, Kevin McKague, & Meera Shenoy

People with disabilities comprise the world’s largest minority group and they face significant barriers to employment. But in most cases they are eager and willing to work, and can significantly increase a company’s productivity. This article looks at the example of the Centre for Persons with Disability Livelihoods in India with its market-oriented approach to help disabled youth get a job in the formal sector.

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