News and Analysis: 03-31 May 2018 | EmergingFrontierMarkets.com

Based in: Manila, Philippines

Posted on Sun, 27 May 2018:

Kenny and Sandefur: A radical proposal to fight poverty in the developing world -- tax the rich more, Vox/US, 24 May 18:
Progressive taxation and welfare systems may seem so obvious as to not be worth mentioning. But new data on taxation and spending in the world's poorest countries suggests that progressive tax-and-transfer systems are far less common than you would think, write Ctr Global Devt senior fellows

Carstens: Technology is no substitute for trust, Börsen-Zeitung/ Germany, 23 May 18 [courtesy Bank for Intl Settlements]:
How to preserve trust in financial transactions is a tricky business in our digital age. Conjuring up new cryptocurrencies has become the alchemy of the age of innovation, with the promise of magically transforming everyday substances (electricity, in this case) into money, writes BIS gen manager

Can humans survive a faster future?, Rand (blog), 01 May 18:
A US consulate is surrounded by a dozen men with assault rifles. News media has the story. It's trending on Twitter. This kind of pressure-cooker scenario is not uncommon. As the velocity of info--and just about everything else--accelerates, leaders face immense pressure to act or respond quickly

Posted on Sun, 20 May 2018:

Monica de Bolle: Argentina -- Back to the brink, Peterson Inst (blog), 09 May 18:
Little over a year ago, the country was the darling of the financial markets, having pulled off the sale of a 100-year bond, taking advantage of the low interest rate environment and investors' appetite for emerging-market assets, writes Inst senior fellow

Pindyck and Stock: We don't know what climate change will cost -- that doesn't mean we can ignore it, The Hill, 09 May 18:
The "social cost of carbon" is the dollar value of the future climate damages from emitting an additional ton of carbon dioxide. We both agree about having a carbon fee as an important step in harnessing market forces to reduce CO2 emissions, write MIT and Harvard economists

Gabriel Zucman: The desperate inequality behind global tax dodging, Guardian, 08 Nov 17 [via Author's site]:
Big multinationals are supposed to allocate profits across their various subsidiaries as if these offshoots were independent entities, trading goods and services among themselves at the prevailing market prices, writes U Calif.-Berkeley economist (Tax evaders exposed)

Posted on Sun, 13 May 2018:

Jim O'Neill: The 'Next Eleven' and the world economy, Project Syndicate, 22 Apr 18 [via Gulf Times/Qatar]:
The Next Eleven (N-11) never acquired the cachet of the BRIC acronym. Then, as now, it comprised a mixed bag: SKorea, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Vietnam, writes fmr Goldman Sachs Asset Mgmt chair

Through a fog of data, air of Indian cities looks dirtiest, Reuters, 02 May 18:
The WHO's database of more than 4,300 cities showed Indian cities such as New Delhi, Varanasi and Patna were among the most polluted, based on the amount of particulate matter (Infographic: Most and least polluted cities)

Yale's Penny Goldberg appointed chief economist at the World Bank, Yale Univ News, 26 Apr 18:
In announcing Goldberg's appointment, World Bank Pres Kim cited her record as a leading applied micro-economist widely cited for her research on developing countries. As chief economist, she will guide the World Bank's research agenda

Posted on Thu, 03 May 2018:

Trump's trade team to China - Root for Lighthizer and Navarro, Amer Enterp Inst, by C Barfield, 01 May 18:
I have often been critical of Navarro's bizarre econ theories and Lighthizer's destructive approach to the World Trade Org and his wanton attraction to tariffs. But in this instance, I am pulling for both, writes Inst resident scholar

How much does infrastructure boost an economy?, MIT News, 26 Apr 18:
An MIT economist's historical study details how railroads helped India trade and grow. It may also speak to the importance of infra more broadly. After all, about 20 pct of World Bank lending in the developing world goes to infra projects

Flashes of past paradise as Philippines' Boracay empties for makeover, Reuters, 26 Apr 18:
For the 1st time in years, Boracay's most famous beach was almost deserted. Gone were the hordes of tourists and vendors that characterized the explosive, unchecked growth of what was once a quiet paradise island (Infographic | 'Sustainable tourism' is not working)

EmergingFrontierMarkets.com

emerging and frontier markets:

the unofficial field guide