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China's legal system is more formalized and better functioning than many realize. Still, given the Chinese Communist Party's lock on judicial power, the country still has work to do.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
Jeffrey D. Sachs argues that the mono-causal analysis of the book, 'Why Nations Fail,’ – that economic development hinges on a country’s political institutions – ignores important factors (such as geography) that can also affect growth.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
Since weak demand is at the heart of the recession, governments need to enact stimulus programs along with structural reforms, argues Menzie Chinn. Structural reforms don’t always work out, writes Karl Smith. Raghuram Rajan demurs.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
Until now, the U.S.-China policy has been driven by a blend of engagement and balancing. The Obama administration’s concentration on ‘engagement’ has done nothing to halt Beijing’s military build-up. The next administration should work towards bolstering the ‘balancing’ half of Washington’s strategic equation.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
Just a few years ago, India seemed on the brink of becoming the world's next great power. Today, its future appears less certain. Although some have blamed the global economic recession, the real problem is domestic - namely, the centralized, secretive and arbitrary political culture that pervades New Delhi.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
To leave behind a stable government in Afghanistan in 2014, the U.S. needs to work towards electoral reforms, negotiations with the Taliban, and a regional settlement involving Pakistan.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
The Western sanctions imposed on Iran to force it to abandon its nuclear programme have succeeded in bringing Tehran back to the negotiating table, but they are a tactic, not a strategy. Any long-term policy has to aim for a democratic Iran.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
As Europe emerges from economic crisis, a larger challenge remains: finally turning the eurozone into an optimal currency area, with economies similar enough to sustain a single monetary policy. Getting there will be difficult and expensive, but the future of European integration hangs in the balance.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
The author explains in detail the functions of the World Bank and how it has evolved over the years. He also argues that while the bank has adapted to shifts in economic influence and the rise of emerging markets, it must become even more innovative and representative.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
China seems to want the yuan to dethrone the dollar as the global reserve currency. But don’t expect China’s currency to take over anytime soon. The yuan will rise, but far slower than predicted, and Beijing’s puzzling efforts to help it along reveal flaws in the government’s divided and incremental approach.