The unreal estate
For many people around the world, property rights are not well defined, enforced or monitored; resulting in over half of the world’s population living and working on ‘unreal estate’, i.e. without the security of property ownership.
In her book Prosperity Unbound: Building Property Markets With Trust, INSEAD alumna Elena Panaritis presents a holistic approach to combating this lack of formal rights, arguing that a new thinking process, combined with successful diagnosis a
Global outlook: big spenders and penny-pinchers
In the US, extravagance is a normal way of life. In China, it is a sin. Such contrasting consumer psyche between the two economies needs to be evened out before a sustained recovery of the post-bubble global economy can be achieved in the longer run, says Stephen Roach, chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia.
Kick-starting growth in Europe in the face of global competition
With European growth lagging behind that of Asia, the issue of how Europe can kick-start its economy came under the spotlight at the Leadership Summit.
Rhodia CEO Clamadieu favours modified auction scheme
As the EU looks to the post-2012 horizon for regulating emissions of greenhouse gases, Rhodia CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu has expressed interest in ways of implementing an auction of emission rights, which since 2005 have been issued cost-free based on past emission levels and then traded. He calls for a sector analysis to identify which industries are most energy-intensive and could thus be hardest-hit by a new auction system.
Book review: The Indian Renaissance
Economics examiners must love China and India. What a perfect pair of rising economic Asian giants to use for a compare-and-contrast question for their students. A thousand years ago, both countries were civilised and technologically advanced while Europeans huddled in draughty castles and a gnawed meat off bones. Both countries missed out on the Industrial Revolution, and seemed bewildered by the rise of the barbarian West. But they succumbed to its domination, shook it off in the 1940s, then e
Political Science 61A: Minority Politics
Political Science 61A, Minority Politics, also cross listed as Chicano/Latino Studies 64, Minority Politics.
The course’s focus is the politics and experiences of specific groups: African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. This examination and analysis will not only enhance our understanding of these groups’ political roles, but will demonstrate that the U.S. political system cannot be adequately understood without understanding the political dynamics of ethnicity a
Lessons learned: The Nordic banking crisis of the 1990s
Once burned, twice shy. That’s a lesson that has helped a lot of Swedish and Finnish businesses dodge major disaster during the world’s most recent economic crisis.
The upside of a down market
If there’s one good thing about an economic crisis, it’s the bargains resulting from the fall-out. Good, that is, if you’re in a position to buy. And that was exactly the position in which Banco Santander found itself.
When the credit crisis hit the UK in 2007, Spain’s largest bank had the will and the means to take advantage of some amazing bargains. Not only did Banco Santander weather the crisis, it emerged as a stronger global player, particularly in the UK.
Further consolidation seen in private banking sector
Even as the global economic downturn continues to ease, there will be further consolidation in the private banking industry amid cost-cutting efforts and falling revenues, says Pierre-Francois Baer, SG Private Banking’s CEO for Singapore & South Asia.
Turning around Tyco: how corporate governance saved the day
“Shareholders are screaming. The stock price has dropped from $60 to $7 a share. The press is hitting you every day with requests for info on the turnaround of the company. The prior management is still there, wondering about their futures. The prior board is there, wondering about their futures. And you’re there, trying to bring some order to this chaos.”
UO Today #457: James Harper / James Tice
James Harper, Art History, and James Tice, Architecture, discuss the exhibit they co-curated entitled “Giuseppe Vasi’s Rome: Lasting Impressions From The Age Of The Grand Tour” in an interview conducted in the exhibit hall at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
UO Today, the Oregon Humanities Center’s half-hour television interview program, provides a glimpse into the [...]
Taking the lead
Peter Grauer, the Chairman and CEO of Bloomberg, is a man with a mantra and he repeats it every chance he gets: “We have an aspiration at Bloomberg to become the most influential news organisation in the world.” A glance at the statistics behind the media empire started in 1981 by the eponymous Michael Bloomberg (who, on becoming the 108th Mayor of the City of New York on January 1, 2002, left the running of his company to long-time friend and associate Grauer), shows that the global media c
Healthcare 2020: Managing new health markets
Are conventional healthcare models still relevant, especially in rapidly-growing economies such as India’s, what will be the economics of the healthcare business and who will be the players of the future?
Harpal Singh, chairman of Fortis Healthcare, says “we need to stop fighting globalisation - it’s here, and we need to focus on how we can make it beneficial.” Singh also argues that countries like India could provide unprecedented opportunities both as a market and as a solutio
Meeting business challenges with social projects
It was certainly not our intention to create a group of tree-huggers or well-meaning do-gooders. The business world increasingly needs to consider the impact carefully of economic activity on society and the environment. This not only involves a certain degree of risk, but also presents an enormous opportunity for innovation in new products and services.
Just what kind of business is there in sustainability?
Whether in energy, healthcare or micro-investing, is there a real business model in sustaining the world’s resources and improving the quality of life for its inhabitants? INSEAD Knowledge attended the IESE Net Impact Doing Good and Doing Well conference in Barcelona recently, and found evidence that many companies and individuals are finding there are business models, if you are prepared to think creatively and be just a bit audacious.
"Monsters to Destroy: Bush's War on Terror and Sin"
A talk by Ira Chernus, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Colorado-Boulder on his book, Monsters to Destroy. In an ambitious effort to clarify a complicated issue, Ira Chernus tackles the question of why U.S. foreign policy aimed at building national strength and security ha
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope"
A talk by Tariq Ali, editor, New Left Review. Since 1998, the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela has brought Hugo Chávez to world attention as the foremost challenger of the neoliberal consensus and American foreign policy. While Chávez's radical social-democratic reforms have brough
"New Writing from the Balkans"
Readings of original poetry and fiction by two leading South Slavic authors, Igor Štiks from Croatia and Aleš Debeljak from Slovenia, both of whom currently reside in Chicago. The readings are followed by a discussion of the creative atmosphere and trends in contemporary literature in Southeast Europe, with time devoted to the experience of writing away from one’s home country. Sp
“Baltimore Drowning: A Slavic Microhistory of Global Proportions"
This talk by Keith Brown of Brown University was the keynote address of "Rethinking Crossroads: Macedonia in Global Context." The conference assembled both young and established scholars whose social-scientifically and humanistically informed work speaks to the contemporary realities of the Republic of Macedonia as they continue to be reshaped by actors and p
"Militarization of U.S. Foreign Relations with Latin America: Prospects for Change"
A panel discussion with: Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director of the Latin America Working Group; Joy Olson, Executive Director of the Washington Office on Latin America; Adam Isacson, Senior Associate at the Center for International Policy. From the Latin American Briefing Series. Co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies and the Internati
