Think smaller nations cannot contribute to the fight against climate change? Think again. Cooper Austen dives into Belize's recent debt-for-nature swap and how it may pave the path for more deals like this in the future.
Are we seeing another cold war on the rise? The world’s two biggest powerhouses—the US and China—have been at a clash as of late which has been spilling over into different economic sectors, with the semiconductors market in particular taking a huge blow.
To see how specific chip manufacturers like Nvidia and Arm are affected by the “chip-war,” read this article by James Clavel.
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Inequality is a staple of the global economy. One of the greatest challenges faced across the world is the digital divide, inequality that is exacerbated by a lack of technology and technological resources. The ongoing pandemic has intensified this digital divide to the point where it stands to become one of the greatest humanitarian crises.
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Turkey’s economic crisis, ongoing since 2018, took a sharp and dark new turn in October 2020. The Turkish lira fell to a historic low as COVID-19 cases rose. These trends are hardly unique to Turkey, as many countries face tough choices to balance propping up their economies and limiting the spread of the virus. Middle-income countries like Turkey are especially vulnerable, given the dearth of international assistance for all but the most vulnerable nations.
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While the worst of the pandemic is likely over for Singapore, the nightlife industry continues to suffer economic turmoil as karaoke bars and nightclubs continue to be off-limits for residents. Despite new initiatives launched by the government for limited reopening and pivoting of business models, the nightlife industry is struggling to stay afloat in a post-COVID-19 world.
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While Turkey has struggled economically over the past two years, its burgeoning tech space has been a rare bright spot. In developing and attracting investment to homegrown start-ups, Turkey’s demographic fundamentals play to its strengths. Moreover, greater attention from both Ankara and outside investors to the challenges facing tech in Turkey might expand the opportunities for growth and offer a template to resolve Turkey’s broader economic challenges.
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Optimizing quality, cost, and accessibility of healthcare may be a three-pronged scenario, but there remains room for improvement in both Australia and the US. Business Today spoke to Anjana Sreedhar, author of “Healthcare of a Thousand Slights”, and Charles Fedor, an economics student at the University of Western Australia, about perceived gaps and possible solutions for the Australian and American health insurance and healthcare spaces.
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The airline industry has been hit with unprecedented circumstances, with demand declining rapidly. A traditionally lethargic industry has been forced to accelerate decision making in order to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, and salvage the demand left. Airlines must continue to innovate and implement health and safety practices, in order to regain the trust of passengers, for the survival of their businesses.
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China is not commonly seen as a powerhouse in game development in much of the Western world, despite its tremendous game-making potential. However, the global surge of mobile gaming, growing acceptance of microtransactions, and increasing influence of Chinese companies in game development might just mean the country will start finding a bit more international success with its releases.
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As regulation of private and public health coverage continues to be debated in the political arena, a comparison between Australian and American health systems illustrates the benefits and shortfalls of each. 2020 Summer Journalism Fellow Millie Muroi speaks to Anjana Sreedhar, author of Healthcare of a Thousand Sights, about the unique problems faced by the Australian and American healthcare spaces.
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Streaming services like Netflix are shaking up the film industry, but are also working on diversifying their content by collaborating with international filmmakers. However, this foray into diverse content only goes so far, because the industry still suffers representation for women/minorities in senior leadership and explicit representation of LGBTQ+ characters.
Ice coverage in Arctic regions is decreasing, causing the size of the oceans expand, which gives way to potential new routes of travel. Within the Arctic, we have seen the Northern Sea Route (NSR) open, creating alternative lanes for global trade. Summer Journalism Fellow Joe Strong analyzes how countries with ports at the ends or along the NSR will be impacted. The ability to use the Arctic would shorten and reroute many of the most internationally favoured trade routes, which primarily travel through the Suez and Panama Canals.
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Access to clean and affordable energy in Africa has been a major challenge, as most of its governments still nose-dive to source dirty fossil fuels to oil the wheels of their nation. However, renewable energy development offers the continent the option to be a global renewable powerhouse and the option to re-write its energy story.
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Sa Sa, the Hong Kong-based beauty retailing giant, had never published a fiscal deficit since the days of SARS due to a proactive expansion strategy in both physical stores and digital outlets. Everything changed in 2020 when a new coronavirus emerged, but Journalism Fellow Hypatia Wu’s analysis reveals that its financial slump had begun even before the global pandemic.
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2020 was anticipated to be a decisive year for climate action before COVID-19 hit, yet unlike most of its harmful effects elsewhere, the pandemic has brought about an unexpected silver lining with a dramatic reduction in GHG emissions. However, the global economic recovery in the post-COVID era could quickly undo this progress as countries look to fossil fuels to lift them out of the recession.
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COVID-19 has raised risks associated with travel, from prolonged exposure to other people to last-minute cancellations before getting on a flight. Typically, people buy travel insurance to mitigate risks when visiting places outside of their home country. However, the current state of traveler’s insurance may not be enough to cope with the aforementioned pandemic-induced risks. Summer Journalism Fellow Charlotte Ehlers proposes a plan where federal governments set up their own travel insurance plans and market them alongside preexisting COVID safety measures to restimulate the tourism industry.
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Being considered an emergency remedy for the current economic crisis, quantitative easing can prove lethal in the long run for businesses and states when implemented permanently. Today, it might be one of the most popular policies to combat economic recession and spur growth. However, as Summer Journalism Fellow Anastasiia Tokar shows, it should be supported with direct business assistance and unemployment protection policies to survive its long-term consequences.
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Originally from Zagnanado in central Benin, Leonard Wantchekon is a Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Largely, his work stands at the intersection of Politics, Economic History, and Development Economics, particularly in Africa, and has also contributed significantly to the literature on clientelism and state capture, resource curse, and democratization.
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Summer Journalism Fellow Charlotte Ehlers speaks with Patricia Letayf, co-founder and Director of Operations at Five One Labs, a startup incubator in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that has incubated five cohorts of startups since its inception in 2017. Letayf describes how Five One Labs combines her interests in Middle Eastern politics, business, and economic development and how it also uses entrepreneurship to enable diverse groups of young people in Kurdistan to rebuild their community.
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Reliance Jio has been riding a wave of success as it eyes strategic partnerships for the 5G era in its urge to be self-sufficient and independent of network equipment vendors. With its overwhelming support from both investors and political figures, Jio is well-positioned to plant the Indian flag near the top of the telecom industry. Here, Summer Journalism Fellows Peyush Karel breaks down its unique strategy in the expansion game.
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