Written by Vincent Mathew Through 1950 to 2021 the global birth rate experienced a fall from 5 births per woman to 2.3 and conversations regarding the future of the global fertility decline have gained stark prevalence in response (UNPF, 2023). Developed nations have seen the most drastic decline estimates with Europe projected to endure a…
Category: International Economics
Argentina’s Potential Dollarization: What Should We Consider?
Written by Catherine Sancho Argentina’s economy has been experiencing turbulence ever since its first debt crisis in the 1980s, triggering exceptional rates of inflation. By the end of 2023, Argentina’s annual inflation climbed to 211.4%, the highest rate in 32 years (Rey, 2024). The newly elected president and self-described “anarcho-capitalist,” Javier Milei, campaigned strongly on…
Opinion: Political Depression Behind the Confidence Crisis in China’s Economy
Written by Lily Liang A year after China lifted its stringent zero-Covid policy with mass testing,extended quarantine and travel restrictions, the country’s economy is still struggling torebound. Consumer confidence improved briefly after the restrictions were lifted andquickly fell back down to pandemic levels, the retail industry staggered, the real estatemarket declined, and foreign investment contracted…
OPINION – The Train that Lead to Nowhere: The Double-Edged Sword of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Africa
Written by Lakshay Sood China’s economy has expanded over twenty years, becoming the second-largest, with a nominal GDP of $18.46 trillion in 2023 (IMF estimate). China’s rapid economic growth has helped its citizens escape poverty. It has become more economically and strategically ambitious globally. Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) reflects the country’s growing global…
Inequality, Carbon Emission, and the Future of Climate Change Mitigation
Written by Lily Liang We all contribute to climate change, but not to the same extent. Between 1990 and 2015, the world’s richest 10% were responsible for more than half of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere and used up one third of the world’s remaining 1.5C carbon budget (Watts, 2023). Today’s global carbon…
Javier Milei to take on Argentina’s Economic Crisis
Written by Gabi Breuer In late October, Argentina held presidential elections, crucial in determining how the country would handle its economic turmoil. Since the nineties, Argentina has struggled with such hardships: having substantial debts, falling into deep recession periods, and facing extraordinary inflation. This most recent election was critical to ensure Argentinians were put on…
A Divided East and West
Written by Amanda Katiraei In November 2023, Chinese factories confronted overcapacity and a struggling domestic economy by boosting exports. These actions to boost their economy have created new trade tensions, particularly in industries like electric vehicles and solar panels. As manufacturers are now facing weakened domestic demand, they are aggressively cutting prices to gain traction…
Showdown in the Spratleys: How Economics Drives China’s Claims in the South China Sea
Written by Lizzy Cohn Over the last century, territorial claims in the South China Sea, specifically the Spratly Islands, have been widely disputed among many countries including China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Japan. In addition to these islands being a prime location along the major commercial shipping routes to northeastern Asia, they are extremely rich…
Op-ed: How ECO Compares to Other Economic Alliances Such as the EU
Written by Bartu Geyik Uzbekistan has recently hosted the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit of 2023, uniting many countries from West to South Asia. This economic cooperation has been ongoing for the past four decades, reaching 10 members during 1992 after the ex-soviet Central Asian countries joined the cooperation. The world is becoming multipolar, evidenced…
The Electric Vehicle Industry: A Background of BYD, China’s #1 Automaker
Written by Avril Yu Amidst forecasts of a future troubled by a climate change crisis and diminishing gasoline supply, the electric vehicle shines: it’s thought of as a newfangled, science fiction illustration—perhaps even a little presumptuous, in its youth and its ideals. If the electric vehicle seems that way even today, then the uncertainty surrounding…