News and Analysis: 15-27 Feb 2017 | EmergingFrontierMarkets.com

Based in: Manila, Philippines

Posted on Mon, 27 Feb 2017:

Why Trump's two-for-one rule on regulations is no quick fix, NYT, 20 Feb 17 [courtesy Yale U]:
Pres Trump intends to pare back a vast array of govt regulations. He recently ordered that for every new regulation it imposes, the govt must get rid of two old ones. While Mr Trump’s approach is wrongheaded, there is logic to it, writes 2013 Nobel Laureate

Do we need a new kind of economics?, FT, by M Sandbu, 24 Feb 17 [PDF, courtesy Harvard]:
The widespread public suspicion of economics and economists should be obvious to anyone who cares to notice. For critics, the discipline is beset by flawed models, obscure jargon and undeclared ideology – but it doesn't have to be that way, writes FT econ commentator

Will slowing economic growth mean war in Asia? – Q&A with Asia expert M Auslin, AEI (blog), by J Pethokoukis, 24 Feb 17:
The author of The End of the Asian Century: War, stagnation, and the risks to the world's most dynamic region (Jan 2017) says we should be less sure what is in store for Asia in the twenty-first century. Econ growth? Political tensions? What do policy makers need to know?

Posted on Fri, 24 Feb 2017:

Projections that China's economy will overtake America's any time soon are fanciful, Amer Econ Assn News, 08 Feb 17:
Possibly the single most important of the tensions stoked up by Pres Trump is the rivalry between the US and China. Economic strength will be the ultimate determinant of this struggle for the position of Top Nation

Checks and balances before roads and bridges, Project Syndicate, by P Mauro, 24 Feb 17 [courtesy Peterson Inst]:
When done well, infrastructure investment can revive flagging economies and pay for itself. But when done poorly, public infrastructure spending can lead to corruption and waste, with taxpayers footing the bill for "bridges to nowhere", writes IMF African dept asst dir

What immigrants mean for America's economic future, CSMonitor, by K Rueben, 01 Oct 16:
Are immigrants good for the economy and the country's balance sheet? That is the politically charged and analytically difficult question tackled in a 3-year study by the National Academies of Sciences. The panel (which I was a part of) has just released its report, writes Tax Policy Ctr senior fellow

Posted on Wed, 22 Feb 2017:

WTO launches its first and so far only trade pact, Deutsche Welle, 22 Feb 17:
A multilateral trade agreement brokered by the World Trade Org has come into force aiming to streamline customs bureaucracy. The WTO head said the required two-thirds of member states had ratified the accord. It is the trade body's first-ever global deal in its 21-year history

Trends in inequality and the world's eight richest men, US News & World Report, 10 Feb 17 [courtesy Rand (blog)]:
While the Oxfam reports have done a good job bringing attention to the problem of inequality, the focus in this case on global inequality is a "red herring", write Corp social scientist; and mathematician

Nobel Prize-winner Kenneth Arrow dies, Stanford Univ, 21 Feb 17:
"Arrow was one of the greatest economists," said John Shoven, an econ prof at Stanford. "But he was also humble, warm and a great friend." His pioneering contributions led him to become the youngest person to date to win the economics Nobel Prize (Path breaker – a profile)

Posted on Mon, 20 Feb 2017:

Joseph Stiglitz: How to survive the Trump era, Project Syndicate, 20 Feb 17 [via Guardian]:
Any view regarding the way forward is necessarily provisional, as Trump has not yet proposed detailed legislation. But recognition of uncertainty is not a justification for denial. On the contrary, it is now clear that what Trump says and tweets must be taken seriously, writes 2001 Nobel Laureate

Being open-minded about universal basic income, World Bank (blog), by Gentilini and Yemtsov, 06 Jan 17:
In a world riddled with complexity, the simplicity of universal basic income grants is alluring: just give everyone cash. But the concept has many variants leading to dramatically different schemes depending on how they are designed, write Bank social protection senior economist; and team leader

Jean Drèze: Decoding universal basic income for India, London School of Economics (blog), 20 Jan 17:
I have liked the idea for a long time, esp. in countries (like Finland) that can afford a generous amount and also have 1st-rate public services. But for India today, its advocacy sounds premature, writes Delhi School of Econ prof / co-author (with Amartya Sen) of Hunger and Public Action

Posted on Fri, 17 Feb 2017:

Exploring America's role in a turbulent world - In pursuit of security and opportunity, Rand, by Hoehn and assoc, 18 Jan 17:
Whatever the new admin's policies toward the "1 percent" of richest citizens, its policies toward the third of the country that has been left behind - the "31 percent" - may prove most crucial in restoring political unity, as well as US position in the world, writes Rand team

Andres Velasco: How economic populism works, Project Syndicate, 08 Feb 17 [via Times of Oman]:
There can be no disagreement that Latin Americans have been the longest and best practitioners of econ populism, with Argentina's Peron, Brazil's Vargas, Chile's Allende, among others, writes Chile’s fmr finance minister and presidential candidate

These are the jobs least likely to go to robots, Fortune, by Manyika, Chui and Miremadi, 11 July 16 [courtesy McKinsey]:
As automation in the workplace moves rapidly from science fiction to business fact, we believe the changes it will bring are more nuanced than a simple choice between human and robot, write McK senior partner; and partners

Posted on Wed, 15 Feb 2017:

Ngaire Woods: The enlightenment of President Trump?, Project Syndicate, 10 Feb 17 [via La Nacion/Costa Rica]:
Enlightenment can surely take time. For now, Trump seems committed to his deal-making approach to America's relationships with other countries. Yet, his deal-making machine will soon hit hard constraints, writes Oxford U School of Govt dean

Living standards lag behind economic growth, Intl Inst Applied Systems Analysis/Austria, 13 Feb 17:
As incomes rise in developing countries, access to basic amenities such as electricity, clean cooking energy, water, and sanitation, also improves - but not uniformly, and not as quickly as income growth, acc. to Inst researchers

A cat, a hat and a simple measure of gobbledygook - How readable is your writing?, Bank of England (blog), 04 Oct 16:
We live in the information age. Both public and private institutions now make a wealth of information freely available via their websites. But does this really make these bodies accessible? Can those wishing to read the prose actually do so?

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