Commentary by Iana Dreyer on globalization, markets, development, transition, Europe and France
So Mikhail Kasyanov will not be able to run in the Russian presidential elections. Kenya’s violence is on the rise.
It looks like the last wave of democratisation (cum-marketisation) in contemporary history has broken…. Niall Ferguson had a good piece in the FT’s week-end edition (subscription required) on the topic:
“Why does democracy flourish in some countries, but shrivel and die in others? Read the rest of this entry »
This is to react to a comment made by one of France’s most popular econ-bloggers, on my previous post. First: thanks, Alexandre! I wanted to react with a just few words to your comment, but then one topic led me into the other… This led me to think that I gathered material for a proper post, and since I enjoy spending my time on random activities like blogging on some week-ends, then why not just go ahead…? It must also be noted that my previous post was born out of a pure, quasi-sentimental, concern for the UK economy on a Saturday morning lingering around at home and listening to BBC radio online. I happened to live in the UK for a few years until a few months ago. The post was not the result of concern for the global, European and other fallout of the Credit Crunch, which I was determined to leave to specialists.
Yet the ramifications of this Thing Called the Crunch, are enormous. What implications for the unwinding of global financial imbalances, and even the status of the United States in the World? What implications for the stock markets – with their turbulences all over this week? Can Central Banks cope? What is now the place of structured finance in global financial markets? How should regulatory systems respond, adapt, and be reformed to make sure such a thing never happens again? What can the IMF do? And: Who else will be hit? Etc etc…. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the big victims of the credit crunch is the United Kingdom, which I didn’t mention in my previous post on the “turbulences” below Davos. The Northern Rock debacle, where the British mortgage lender suffered an embarrassing run and was rescued by the British authorities to avert a general banking and financial crisis was a shock to the nation and the rest of the world. Read the rest of this entry »
This year’s World Economic Forum gathering at Davos is running full steam. Top CEOs and politicians from all over the world flocked in to discuss ways to improve the state of the world. On top of the magic alpine mountain, all these leaders appear like they are seeking respite from the current turbulences in the world economy, in order to philosophize on the state of the world. In between fancy wine tasting sessions, the Credit Crunch is wielding its threatening sword on the fate of the world’s businesses and economies. George Soros himself wrote this week that it is the worst market crisis in the last 60 years. So Soros: Read the rest of this entry »
Technology is at the heart of the contemporary globalisation phenomenon and its related controversies. Read the rest of this entry »
C’est comme quand on veut arrêter la cigarette. Chaque fois on se dit: cette fois-ci c’est la dernière! C’est mon cas avec l’effet addictif de l’aura sarkozyste. Bref : ayant promis d’arrêter de “bloguer sur Sarko”, je propose ici - pour de vrai, promis, promis ! - un billet qui sera le « der des ders ».
Voici donc un traitement très professionnel du Sarkozysme et une discussion intéressante du discours “civilisationnel” de cette semaine. Avec Patrick Jarreau, Jean-Claude Casanova et Jean-Marie Colombani.
As you already guessed, shopping in Brussels is not the best option, highly restricted by useless restrictions and excessive labour costs. What is left, once you managed - after more than a month (if lucky) - to get a decent internet connection, is: to blog around (that saves money!). So I’ve been blogging around and finding out/rediscovering a few things. Here my shopping list:
Best European blogroll: Kosmopolit.
Favourite African blog: Ideias de Mocambique
Best economist: Greg Mankiw.
Best French economic-cum-humour blog: Econoclastes. But there are a few other talented Frenchies: Ecopublix, Blogizmo, and many others…
The incredible Alaskan-based trade blogger. Ben Muse. Managing three blogs!: US-Korea, Ben Muse, and, brand new - The Custom House…
The most thorough international trade and globalisation blogger: Jonathan Dingel
The Money and Power academic geeks: IPE Zone.
Favourite international journo’ commentary blog. Chic, glitz, glam’ and never-ending wit: Gideon Rachman
The King: Mr Wolf…
Honestly, my personal favourite blog is a cooking blog. The lady was so talented, that she was offered a job to manage a major French cooking website. She’s left with no more time to blog…. Quel dommage!
(Avec léger “update”).
Ma propre seule et unique bonne résolution pour 2008 est la suivante: j’arrête de bloguer sur Sarko. Read the rest of this entry »
Something fundamental is happening in France.
Today is the day when a general ban on smoking in all public spaces including cafes, bars and clubs comes into force….
Public transport users in Paris will benefit from quite hefty discounts on their monthly “carte orange” this January to compensate for the inconveniences and loss of money incurred during the strikes last autumn. When I heard this announcement in the Metro during the week-end after the strikes ended in November, and again during my stay in Paris for New Year’s I couldn’t believe my ears. To my knowledge this never happened before. In all the seven years before 2004 when I lived in Paris I was never compensated for having to walk and paid a monthly card for nothing during public transport strikes. However, I heard this exactly on that Sunday when a new wave of “race” riots started outside trendy central Paris, in an immigrant banlieue “Villiers-le-Bel”. Read the rest of this entry »
