With the world facing the first crisis of the modern age of globalization, a commission of economic experts chaired by Nobel Laureate and former Chief Economist of the World Bank Joseph Stiglitz calls for the creation of a new global reserve system and a global economic coordination council as part of a fundamental reform of the international financial architecture. Carla September reports
“These are ideas whose time has come,” Joseph Stiglitz said end of March in New York, as he introduced the commission’s interim report (see reference), which include immediate prescriptions essential to global recovery, as well as an agenda of deeper systemic reforms needed to ensure that such a recovery would be sustainable. The Commission of Experts on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System, as the group convened last year by the President of the General Assembly is formally known, argues that the financial crisis that rapidly spread from a small number of developed countries to engulf the global economy has provided tangible evidence that the international trade and financial system should be profoundly reformed ... ... this article comes up in WDEV 2/Mar-Apr 2009 and is for subscribers only. For direct log in >>> click here.If you have no subscription >>> pick your option or >>>
After decades of isolation - imposed by major OECD countries out of concern for the country's human rights violations - Myanmar is emerging as a new darling of the "West" - judging by the accelerating succession of visits by senior officials and gurus. New groups of investors are waiting to enter the country as soon as possible.
Persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession. Now the United Nations have downgraded significantly its forecasts for the world economy in the next year.
Eastern European states are in for a new round of the crisis. The external control of the banking sector and high reliance on external credit has landed the countries of Eastern Europe in a vulnerable position. Now, credit flows from Western banks are drying up again. Hungary has been the first country in the region to ask for IMF support again.
While the G20 efforts to manage global aggregate demand, exchange rate management and stronger regulation of the international financial sector have not worked out quite as planned, in Cannes the Group was further solidifying its role in directing the system of multilateral institutions.
In November 2011, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is celebrating its 50th anniversary.The new Minister, Dirk Niebel of the (neo)-liberal FDP has launched a 'radical change of course'. In the recent edition of the Reality of Aid shadow report the change is analyzed.