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November 16, 2009
Sizeable trade and currency imbalances between China and the United States have fueled tensions over China's exchange-rate policies vis-ŕ-vis the dollar and intensified debate over the proposed remedies to the problem.
See more in United States, China, Economics
September 23, 2009
Leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh will seek to forge agreements to buoy a global economic recovery and repair financial imbalances that contributed to the recession.
See more in Economics, Financial Crises, International Organizations
Updated: August 20, 2009
A profile of South America's largest trade bloc.
See more in South America, Trade
July 21, 2009
Brazil's economic dynamism has given it a stronger voice on global trade and energy issues. Experts say Washington can advance its regional interests more effectively through a more sophisticated relationship with Brazil.
See more in Brazil, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July 16, 2009
As the United States looks to reform its health care system and expand access to the uninsured, countries that have moved toward universal health care may offer lessons.
See more in United States, Global Health
Updated: July 7, 2009
Greenhouse-gas trading is now a multibillion dollar international business but there are doubts about how much positive impact it is having on the environment.
See more in Energy/Environment, Climate Change
Updated: July 7, 2009
President Barack Obama says he will seek vigorous climate-change policy. Efforts to curb greenhouse gases pose considerable economic pitfalls, as well as opportunities.
See more in United States, Economics, Energy/Environment, Climate Change
Updated: April 8, 2009
As the Obama administration finalizes its first defense budget, analysts say near-term growth will be followed by lean spending amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
See more in United States, Defense Policy & Budget
April 1, 2009
A short summary of each of the G-20 member's objectives for the April summit in London.
See more in Economics, Financial Crises, International Organizations
Updated: March 30, 2009
A profile of the Group of 20 major and emerging world economies.
See more in Economics, International Organizations
March 24, 2009
A brief look at how the U.S. government plans to use taxpayer funds and other incentives to cleanse the balance sheets of banks and revitalize credit markets.
See more in United States, Financial Crises
March 13, 2009
April's G-20 summit has been billed as a forum for producing a "global New Deal." Experts say policymakers should focus on stopping financial turmoil before tackling long-term regulatory reforms.
See more in Economics, Financial Crises
February 25, 2009
As the global economic crisis increases the importance of trade, and China and the United States eye greater engagement with Southeast Asia, ASEAN may play a more robust role in the region.
See more in Southeast Asia, Financial Crises, International Organizations
Updated: January 28, 2009
A primer on government funds charged with investing currency reserves for profit.
See more in Geoeconomics, International Finance
Updated: February 18, 2009
President Obama has signed one of the largest rescue packages since the Great Depression to revive the U.S. economy. Economists warn of the need to keep spending targeted, timely, and temporary.
See more in United States, Financial Crises
December 10, 2008
Vietnam's stock market has plunged and its economic growth has dwindled since 2006, when it was seen as a model for emerging country growth. The country's experience highlights the problems confronting emerging markets in the 2008 financial crisis.
See more in Vietnam, Emerging Markets, Financial Crises
November 20, 2008
The global financial crisis threatens to hamper poverty alleviation efforts in India and China, responsible for lifting the largest numbers of the world's poor out of extreme poverty. Political or social instability are concerns.
See more in China, India, Financial Crises
October 2, 2008
A look at the current U.S. financial regulatory framework, delineating the different agencies tasked with monitoring U.S. financial institutions and their respective roles.
See more in United States, Corporate Governance, Economic Development
July 12, 2007
New York remains a global heavyweight in financial services, but markets in London and East Asia are gaining strength and posing a serious challenge to the Big Apple.
See more in United States, U.K., Economics
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In Money, Markets, and Sovereignty, the authors present a fascinating intellectual history of monetary nationalism from the ancient world to the present and explore why, in its modern incarnation, it represents the single greatest threat to globalization.
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
In Regional Monetary Integration, Peter B. Kenen poses an important question: Should various country groups follow the lead of the European Monetary Union and form similar full-fledged monetary unions?
In contrast to conventional wisdom, the growth in government spending and heightened regulation during the Great Depression may have done much to slow economic recovery.
In this report, Benn Steil shows that the financial crisis is the inevitable bust of a classic credit boom, and explains how monetary, taxation, and home ownership promotion policy combined with other feaures of the financial system to fuel an unsustainable buildup in debt. He recommends significant reforms to reverse the debt financing bias and make the system more resilient to falls in asset prices.
In order for policymakers to tackle today’s global economic crisis, this report argues, they must go beyond bailouts and stimulus packages and focus on one of the crisis's root causes: imbalances between savings and investment in major countries.
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.