Minxin Pei, CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA – Human beings approaching 100 normally think about death. But political parties celebrating their centennial, as the Communist Party of China (CPC) will on July 1, are obsessed with immortality. Such optimism seems odd for parties that rule dictatorships because their longevity record does not inspire confidence. The fact that no other […]
Arvind Subramanian, NEW DELHI – Ravaged periodically by natural calamities, long dependent on foreign aid and remittances, and a perennial source of refugees and emigrants, Bangladesh was once “a basket case of misery,” as Zia Haider Rahman put it in his great debut novel, In the Light of What We Know. But on the 50th anniversary […]
José Antonio Ocampo and Tommaso Faccio, NEW YORK – Historic, game-changing, revolutionary: such has been the widespread reaction to the recent agreement by G7 finance ministers on a global minimum effective tax rate of “at least” 15% for large multinational firms. The ministers also agreed on a new formula for apportioning a share of tax revenues from […]
Isabella M. Weber, AMHERST – The fiscal expansion in the United States in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is like nothing seen outside of wartime. Further large-scale public spending will be needed to rebuild needed infrastructure, tackle climate change, and create jobs. But some prominent economists are warning that government spending on such an extraordinary scale could fuel […]
Johannesburg, 09 June 2021: Huawei today opened its largest Global Cyber Security and Privacy Protection Transparency Center in Dongguan, China. It used the event, which included representatives from GSMA, SUSE, the British Standards Institution, and regulators from the UAE and Indonesia to call for a unified approach to cybersecurity based on facts and verification, rather […]
Mohamed A. El-Erian, CAMBRIDGE – After the 2008 global financial crisis, governments and central banks in advanced economies vowed that they would never again let the banking system hold policy hostage, let alone threaten economic and social well-being. Thirteen years later, they have only partly fulfilled this pledge. Another part of finance now risks spoiling […]
Efosa Ojomo and Lincoln Wilcox, BOSTON – Africa is often regarded as a risky place to do business. There are success stories, like Safaricom, Flutterwave, and Kobo360. But investors tend to view them as anomalies: the fact that they are thriving, despite pervasive poverty, political instability, and widespread corruption, is a matter of luck, not proof that […]
BY SAMUEL NABWIISO, Access to markets is still a challenge for most small-scale farmers in Uganda, especially women in rural areas. This exposes them to exploitation, hence little earnings, which keep most small-scale farmers in poverty. To address this challenge, small-scale farmers have explored the possibility of using online technology to accessing markets and information, […]
Kampala – 8th June 2021: With schools closed in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus disease, learners in rural areas have been able to continue learning through a network of internet hubs provided by Roke Telkom, a home-grown Ugandan public service provider for voice and data communications services, and Hello World, a UK-based charity. […]
Growth was recorded again in the Ugandan private sector during May, with output, new orders and employment all rising over the course of the month. Key findings: Output and new orders continue to grow Extra staff hired to keep on top of workloads Input costs and output prices rise The monthly Stanbic Purchasing Managers’ Index […]
Ali Balunywa, With a predominately Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) economy, Uganda continues to present a healthy investment opportunity for local and foreign players seeking to establish businesses across the different sectors in the economy. Spread across all sectors with 49% in services,33% in commerce and trade, 10% in manufacturing and 8% in others, SMEs are […]
International observers of the local and parliament elections in Somaliland say the World should recognize the democratic ideals of the country after holding free, fair, and credible parliamentary and municipality elections last week. The observers under the Brenthurst Foundation based in South Africa further said Africa should support Somaliland after the exercise. Dr. Greg Mills, […]
Dani Rodrik, CAMBRIDGE – On June 5, the world’s leading economies announced an agreement that will bolster their ability to raise taxes on global corporations. The agreement still needs formal approval from a wider set of countries, and there remain many details to be worked out for it to be effective. Nonetheless, it would not be farfetched […]