CFR.org - Economics

South Africa's Economic Fault Lines

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:48:59 -0400

South Africa in the post-apartheid period has registered steady growth, but mounting problems over inequality threaten the continent's economic engine, explains this Backgrounder.

A Conversation with Lael Brainard

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:06:25 -0400

Lael Brainard, undersecretary for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Treasury, discusses the outlook for the global economy.

A Conversation with Lael Brainard

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:30:53 -0400

Lael Brainard, undersecretary for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Treasury, discusses the outlook for the global economy.

A Conversation with Lael Brainard

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:55:48 -0400

Lael Brainard, undersecretary for international affairs at the U.S. Department of Treasury, discusses the outlook for the global economy.

Should the United States devalue its currency and what would the global implications be?

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:53:16 -0400

Generally, for advanced countries with deep and liquid capital markets like the United States, the best policy is to allow these markets to determine exchange rates.

Investment Treaties: Winners and Losers

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:05:26 -0400

Jose Alvarez, Herbert and Rose Rubin professor of international law at New York University School of Law, discusses the growth and distributional effects and the human rights implications of global economic governance through bilateral investment treaties, with a focus on the global south.

In Defense of Tesla's Price Tag

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:51:15 -0400

According to Michael Levi , "selling Teslas (TSLA) to wealthy people today may be the best way to get electric cars to everyone tomorrow, and for the United States to eventually reduce its dependence on oil, with all the national security and economic benefits that entails."

U.S. Poor Express Strong Values, Not Self-Pity

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:38:08 -0400

Andrew Kohut and Michael Dimock discuss the findings of their new Renewing America Working Paper.

A Conversation with Jeffrey M. Lacker

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:26:15 -0400

Jeffrey M. Lacker discusses "too big to fail" protection for financial institutions and credible alternatives to this policy.

A Conversation with Jeffrey M. Lacker

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:55:41 -0400

Jeffrey M. Lacker discusses "too big to fail" protection for financial institutions and credible alternatives to this policy.

A Conversation with Jeffrey M. Lacker

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:15:28 -0400

Jeffrey M. Lacker discusses "too big to fail" protection for financial institutions and credible alternatives to this policy.

A Conversation with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:45:06 -0400

The political successor to the Dalai Lama discusses Tibet.

A Conversation with Sikyong Lobsang Sangay

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:30:59 -0400

The political successor to the Dalai Lama discusses Tibet.

Secretary Lew's PBS Interview on Long-Term Unemployment and Spending Cuts, May 2013

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:45:17 -0400

PBS journalist Paul Solman interviewed Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew about long-term unemployment, economic growth, and spending cuts on May 8, 2013.

Pittsburgh’s Past Holds the Key to Bangalore’s Future

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:26:22 -0400

Charles Landow and Courtney Lobel trace the evolving similarities between Pittsburg and Bangalore's economic development.

Resilient American Values

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:00:09 -0400

Despite an extended period of economic difficulty, Pew pollsters Andrew Kohut and Michael Dimock show that Americans' core values and beliefs about economic opportunity remain largely optimistic and unchanged.

Does Egypt deserve U.S. economic support?

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:46:24 -0400

Outside of a humanitarian crisis—such as a famine or a natural disaster—it is hard to make the case that any country deserves another's economic support. To paraphrase Britain's Lord Palmerston, countries do not have permanent friends, only permanent interests.

Media Conference Call: Benn Steil on Federal Reserve Exit Strategy

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:12:16 -0400

The prospective challenge of containing inflation, buttressing a collapsed housing market, and normalizing the Federal Reserve's bloated balance sheet has created an "exit strategy" dilemma for Chairman Ben Bernanke. CFR Director of International Economics Benn Steil urges the Federal Reserve to swap mortgage-backed securities with the U.S. Treasury in exchange for Treasury securities, which the Fed can then sell as part of a normal process of monetary tightening.

Media Conference Call: Benn Steil on Federal Reserve Exit Strategy

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:33:38 -0400

CFR Director of International Economics Benn Steil urges the Federal Reserve to swap mortgage-backed securities with the U.S. Treasury in exchange for Treasury securities, which the Fed can then sell as part of a normal process of monetary tightening as a solution for the prospective challenge of containing inflation, buttressing a collapsed housing market, and normalizing its bloated balance sheet.

Fear the Weaker

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:54:08 -0400

America's generals understandably spend much of their time worrying about strong countries, notes Richard N. Haass. But in today's world, when the consequences of weakness in the remotest areas can quickly become global, the United States arguably has more to fear from weak countries.

Bernanke Should Follow the Advice He Gave to Japan

Council on Foreign Relations — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:14:18 -0400

Benn Steil and Dinah Walker explain why the Fed's massive holdings of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) are distorting its thinking about the conduct of monetary policy going forward. They propose a novel plan to rectify this, in which the Fed swaps its MBS with the Treasury in return for Treasury securities, which the Fed can sell as part of a normal "exit" from monetary stimulus.

Will China extend its influence in the Indian Ocean by building a naval base in Gwadar, Pakistan?

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:06:42 -0400

To date, Chinese officials have asserted that their interest in Gwadar is strictly a commercial effort to provide another energy corridor for Middle East oil, and Pakistani government officials stridently affirm this position. New Delhi, on the other hand, has expressed "concern" about the true motivations in developing Gwadar, suspecting that it is a Sino-Pak effort at encirclement.

When the Facts Change, I Change My Target. And You, Sir?

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:30:58 -0400

Benn Steil explains in his column for Dow Jones' Financial News why the latest craze in monetary policymaking—targeting nominal output—has no staying power.

China’s Model of Development and the “Beijing Consensus”

Council on Foreign Relations — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:21:35 -0400

Joshua Kurlantzick discusses the China model of economic development, which he describes as, "economic liberalization without political liberalization."

Portugal’s Austerity Malaise

Council on Foreign Relations — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:39:35 -0400

Recent developments in Portugal provide yet another example of the growing political strength of anti-austerity forces in Europe.

U.S. Cities Need Private Spending on Public Works

Council on Foreign Relations — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:08:54 -0400

Peter Orszag examines how cities could foster more public-private partnerships in infrastructure construction with revenue-based auctions.

India's Feeble Foreign Policy

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:29:31 -0400

The world may expect great things from India, but as extensive reporting reveals, Indians themselves turn out to be deeply skeptical about their country's potential. That attitude, plus New Delhi's dysfunctional foreign-policy bureaucracy, prevent long-term planning of the sort China has mastered -- and are holding India back.

The Real Story Behind Executive Pay

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:25:42 -0400

Much of the outrage over economic inequality in the United States has centered on the high compensation and lack of accountability that corporate executives supposedly enjoy -- allegedly the result of boards at public companies. The truth, however, is that American CEOs now earn less and get fired more than in the recent past.

The Austerity Delusion

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:12:01 -0400

The results of Europe's experiment with austerity are in and they're clear: it doesn't work. Here's how such a flawed idea became the West's default response to financial crises.

Africa's Economic Boom

Council on Foreign Relations — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:04:29 -0400

Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP has grown five percent a year since 2000 and is expected to grow even faster in the future. Although pessimists are quick to point out that this growth has followed increases in commodities prices, the success of recent political reforms and the increased openness of African societies give the region a good chance of sustaining its boom for years to come.