Regions
The Doha Round is Dead, Long Live Free Trade
The failure of the WTO trade talks is unfortunate and may weaken the multilateral trading system, accelerating the move to bilateral agreements. All countries, regardless of the justification of their stance, must ask if safeguard mechanisms are really the issue on which they should be playing endgame. Is that not yesterday’s battle?
Nuclear Deterrence in South Asia: Will it Work?
A basic assumption of nuclear deterrence is that through mutually assured destruction, nuclear weapons prevent war. But do the characteristics that made deterrence successful during the Cold War, apply to South Asia? In the first of a two part series, Kai evaluates how nuclear deterrence may play in the enduring Indo-Pak theater.
High Food Prices: An Opportunity for the WFP
Current high food prices illustrate deep-rooted problems all along the agricultural supply chain, rather than simply demand-supply imbalances. Given its inefficiencies, it is best to bypass that system and the WFP is in the enviable position of being able to do so.
A Dynamic Welfare State?
Is it possible to have both a welfare state and a dynamic economy? Sweden offers hope that it is. Ironically, however, the countries best placed to establish sustainable welfare systems might be the ones most skeptical of them.
Public or Private Education: A Pragmatic View
Natasha argues for pragmatism in this debate. While there may be a theoretical case for public education, there is no inherently better model. Universal public education, as a value, should not interfere with choosing whatever works best in a given situation. Let the perfect not be the enemy of the good.
Rebuttal: Education and the State
My last two posts (here, here) on the role of the state in providing education and conversely questioning that of the private sector, resulted in some very illuminating responses from both sides of the spectrum. As a result, I will soon followup with an additional post highlighting previously unaddressed issues in this debate (and welcome other [...]
Proving the Worth of Public Education
Liberal economists suggest our public schools are terrible, and private schools are the answer. Yet, sufficient evidence exists that public schools are, in many cases, even better than private ones.
Education and the State: Seeking Balance
The failure of India’s primary education system deserves a solution. Yet, privatization is neither necessary, nor sufficient, and cannot be embarked upon without debating the desired balance between quality and equity.
