Economics and Globalization Publications
40. "External Transformation" in the Post-Communist Economies: Overview and Progress
Jul 07, 2011Transforming external regimes has proven to be one of the most problematic aspects of the economic transition in the former Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) countries. These difficulties result both from internal factors such as the all too frequent failure of macroeconomic stabilization programs and from external factors such as the collapse of Soviet-era multinational integration mechanisms. This paper analyzes how, at the macroeconomic level, large declines in regional trade flows during 1990-93 have reinforced the macroeconomic perturbations buffeting the post-Communist economies, while at the microeconomic level, difficulties encountered in sustaining trade liberalization and making currencies more convertible have weakened demonopolizing tendencies and hurt prospects for integration into the international economy. more
Finding the Source: The Coming Freshwater Crisis is Already Here
Jul 07, 2011Fresh water is emerging as the most critical resource issue facing humanity. While the supply of fresh water is limited, both the world’s population and demand for the resource continues to expand rapidly. more
Beginning the Demographic Transition: Very Young and Youthful Age Structures
Jul 07, 2011From 1970-2000, "only 13 percent of countries with a very young age structure had fully democratic governments, compared with 83 percent of countries with a mature age structure," says Elizabeth Leahy, who compares age structure to conflict in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Iran, and Pakistan. more
La economía política del tratado de libre comercio entre Perú y Estados Unidos
Jul 07, 2011This publication explores the significance of the implementation of the US-Peru free trade agreement for the Peruvian political economy. The work is a result of an August 29 and 30, 2008 conference in Lima, co-sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson Center's Latin American Program and the Centro de Investigaciones de la Universidad del Pacífico. more
ECSP Report 11
Jul 07, 2011Bringing together a diverse group of authors – from Nepal to Norway, from the university to the military – the 11th edition of the Environmental Change and Security Program Report explores how powerful underlying forces may engender war – or lay a foundation for peace. Complete report. more
ECSP Report 9: Event Summaries (Part 1)
Jul 07, 2011Summaries include Banking the 'Demographic Dividend' with David E. Bloom; Linking Health, Environment, and Community Development, with Mechai Viravaidya; and Good Water Makes Good Neighbors, with Gidon Bromberg and Abdel-Rahman Sultan. more
U.S. Population Policy Since the Cairo Conference
Jul 07, 2011The International Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in September 1994, forged a broad new consensus on the international community’s approach to population issues. Over three years after the conference, it is timely to explore the U.S. response to the conference and to the challenges posed by the new consensus. more
37. An Antidote to Shock Therapy: An Evolutionary Approach to the East European Economic Transition
Jul 07, 2011These two papers provide some theoretical underpinnings for an alternative--evolutionary--approach to economic reform in Eastern Europe. Such an approach places little emphasis on reforming old organizations, but instead pins its hopes on the growth of a nascent private sector. An evolutionary policy, therefore, combines a policy of the gradual phasing out of the old institutional framework, an active program to promote new private sector activity and the institutions that this sector requires, and gradual privatization using market processes. The papers analyze both the evolution of centrally planned economies in the region as well as the impact of conservatism. more
Finding the Source: Urbanization and Intersectoral Competition for Water
Jul 07, 2011This article examines the implications of urbanization for intersectoral competition over water, not only in technical or economic terms, but also in terms of political and social dynamics as well as the possibilities to meet the water needs of growing cities. more
