Economics

Op-Ed

Bernanke Should Follow the Advice He Gave to Japan

Authors: Benn Steil and Dinah Walker
Wall Street Journal

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.

See more in United States, Economics, Financial Crises

Ask CFR Experts

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

Asked by Hassan, from National University Of Sciences and Technology

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.

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See more in China, India, Pakistan, Geoeconomics, Infrastructure, Trade

Foreign Affairs Article

India's Feeble Foreign Policy

Author: Manjari Chatterjee Miller

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.

See more in India, Economic Development

Foreign Affairs Article

The Real Story Behind Executive Pay

Author: Steven N. Kaplan

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.

See more in Corruption and Bribery, Capital Markets, Corporate Governance

Foreign Affairs Article

Africa's Economic Boom

Authors: Shantayanan Devarajan and Wolfgang Fengler

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.

See more in Sub-Saharan Africa, Economic Development

Video

Lessons from Emerging Markets

Speakers: Joyce Chang, Richard H. Clarida, and Peter B. Henry
Presider: Tim W. Ferguson

Joyce Chang, Richard H. Clarida, and Peter B. Henry discuss how emerging markets have responded to the global recession of 2008–2009 and potential lessons for developed countries.

See more in Emerging Markets

Audio

Effects of Investment Treaties in the Global South

Speaker: Lori Wallach
Presider: Terra Lawson-Remer

Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, discusses investment treaties, their implications for policies to promote financial stability and sustainable use of natural resources, and the flaws of the arbitration system used by investors and nations to settle conflicts, with a focus on the global south.

See more in Economics, Business and Foreign Policy, Emerging Markets, International Finance

Ask CFR Experts

Will "sequestration" lead to a more isolationist U.S. foreign policy?

Asked by Andreas Maldener, from Trier University

After more than a decade of war and several years of a deep financial crisis, many Americans are asking whether the country should focus more of its attention—and more of its resources—at home. That said, the impulse to lead is still strong in both political parties and most polls show that Americans still feel both a moral and strategic imperative to remain fully engaged in the world.

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See more in United States, Economics, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Congress, Congress and Foreign Policy

Ask CFR Experts

Will “sequestration” affect U.S. education, especially in the STEM fields?

Asked by Mariecor Ruediger

American policymakers have long been concerned about the eroding U.S. advantage in educating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students. With much of the assembly work for lucrative high-technology products having moved to Asia, future U.S. prosperity depends increasingly on innovating new products and techniques—innovation that requires training (or importing) a new generation of scientists and engineers.

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See more in United States, Business and Foreign Policy, Education