From The Economist, Leviathan stirs again: The return of big government means that policymakers must grapple again with some basic questions — they are now even harder to answer; and the world’s big economies were all hit by the recession — now the field is spreading (and more); and the Great Stabilisation: The recession was less calamitous than many feared; its aftermath will be more dangerous than many expect. The Global Debt Bomb: Spending our way out of worldwide recession will take years to pay back — and create a lot of pain. Global super-rich no longer look so benign: The crisis and recession have made the gap between the plutocracy and the rest of us a pressing political issue. A review of Misadventures of the Most Favored Nations: Clashing Egos, Inflated Ambitions, and the Great Shambles of the World Trade System by Paul Blustein (and more and more and more). Faith in a trade-based system, with nations buying what they need on open, world markets, is giving ground to an effort by individual nations to secure supplies. For China, India, Indonesia and Brazil, which have more than 40 percent of the world’s people, the decade was one of solid economic growth. Parametric estimations of the world distribution of income: World poverty is disappearing faster than previously though. Worth a hill of soyabeans: How the internet can make agricultural markets in the developing world more efficient. A review of Raising the Global Floor: Dismantling the Myth That We Can’t Afford Good Working Conditions for Everyone by Jody Heymann and Alison Earle.
