U-2’s front man is an able writer on developmental economics, this much became clear when he penned the foreword to Jeff Sachs’ “The End of Poverty” in 2005. A few days ago, Bono published a column for TIME. His premise: the world is on the cusp of another natural resource boom, and it need not […]
The recent BRICS summit at the end of March 2012 led to a substantial amount of controversy surrounding South Africa’s membership. Various political analysts were seen on television and in newspapers all answering a similar question to this one: Given its economic, military and population numbers, is South Africa really worthy to be part of […]
A report released last month discussed the rising profile of BRICS countries–Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa–in health and development assistance and called upon the group to further their cooperation for better global health in the developing world. “Shifting Paradigm: How the BRICS are Shaping Global Health and Development” (PDF), written by the NGO […]
(cntasul.blogspot.com) In the September 2011 issue of National Geographic, to which I subscribe through my beloved grandmother, Cynthia Gorney chronicles the steep decline in fertility rate of Brazilian women. It is a thought-provoking coincidence that, in the short-term at least, this decline has coincided with a woman ascending to the presidency.[1] Gorney shows that […]
While democracy struggles to take hold in Myanmar and the Maldives, last weekend’s Summit of the Americas in Colombia raised some interesting questions about development and democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Events at the conference itself have been addressed elsewhere in FPA blogs (and here); I’d like to examine what the conference indicates about the […]
A recent article by IPSNews.net discussed the downside of Brazil’s investment relationship with China. While much of the article discusses the positive exponential growth between Brazil and China, the different nature of growth and long-term investment between the two BRICS are quite different, and in some cases places the two countries on opposite sides of […]
A few weeks back we discussed on this FPA blog how Brazil was likely to choose the French candidate as its new fighter jet over its American and Swedish rivals. Part of the decision to choose the French Rafale jet was based on past restrictions by the US on Embraer and Brazil to sell its […]
Brazil has relied on sugar cane-derived ethanol for much of its auto fleet for years. However, the industry has hit a soft patch in investment. Since 2005, the country has built 117 ethanol mills, but after the five currently coming on line are finished there are no plans for further expansion. When you consider that […]
Another year has sped by with more change and economic uncertainty throughout the global markets. From a journalist’s viewpoint, 2010 was filled with some of the most dynamic and complex economic trends and global market events possible. For instance, the Euro zone debt crisis, the global currency war, coverage of the international currency war – announced by Brazilian Finance Minister and precipitated by Ben Bernanke’s quantitative easing monetarist policy – the perils of high-frequency trading, and the burdensome economic impact of two-front warfare on the domestic agenda are just a few issues that led the Global Markets through a year of risk, volatility, turmoil and uncertainty.
by Cate Mackenzie *For many, the 1st of January heralds a new start, and it’s not uncommon for weight loss to top the New Year’s resolutions list. Sense About Science, a London-based nonprofit has released its Celebrities and Science 2010 Review, which counters the more unusual diet and nutrition tips that have appeared in magazines […]
Overview Brazil has long seemed poised to join China, Germany and the US as one of the few nations with influence that stretches far beyond its borders. Years from now, many historians may look back on 2010 as the year that Brazil at last turned the corner in its ascent as a global power. Brazil’s […]
With all of the positive news coming out of Sao Paulo’s stock exchange and the ministries of Brasilia recently, this weekend’s crackdown on organized crime in the Complexo de Alemão and Vila do Cruzeiro favelas reminded the world of the crime-ridden Rio de Janeiro of today, whose parallels can easily be found throughout many of […]
G-20 world leaders meeting in Seoul, South Korea, concluded the summit late Friday by issuing a joint communiqué, with no specifics, agreeing only in general terms to curb “persistently large imbalances” in saving and spending. But deep divisions, especially over the US-China currency dispute, left G-20 officials negotiating all night to draft a watered-down statement for the leaders to endorse, keeping alive a dispute that raises fears of a global trade & currency war, and fears of rising protectionism among nations.
“We’re in the midst of an international currency war,” declared Brazil’s Finance Minister, Guido Mantega, this past Monday. Minister Mantega was referring to Brazil’s ongoing struggle to maintain a competitive exchange rate for its exports as other developing nations aim for the same. Although most analysts have recognized the “currency war” for some time, Minister Mantega’s […]
While many advanced economies, ours included, struggles to revive its flagging economy, one country is proving the exception to the global recession, and no, it’s not China: it’s Brazil. TThhe South American country appears unstoppable in boosting domestic, as well as foreign investments in fueling the nation’s stellar economic growth and emergence as a major global player.