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  • 12 Jul 2023
    • Global Economy
    • IMF

    Scrapping IMF surcharges is key to cutting debt burden on distressed nations

    Robert Walker , Mariza Cooray , Roland Rajah
    The economic logic of charging beyond lending rates doesn’t add up and also undermines the Fund’s legitimacy.
  • 30 Jun 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Poverty
    • Trade

    Globalisation promised growth. Now emerging economies need a new path

    Suryaputra Wijaksana
    Rising trade barriers and financial stress has upended the idea that a free and open world economy will bring prosperity.
  • 28 Jun 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Climate change
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Replenishing the Green Climate Fund

    Georgia Hammersley
    Delivering on a promise to help developing countries meet climate challenges remains critical.
  • 16 Jun 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • United States
    • US Economy

    Is US industrial policy headed in the wrong direction?

    Connor O’Brien
    Washington’s geopolitical strategy threatens to entrench economic hierarchies and undermine the global green transition.
  • 8 Jun 2023
    • China
    • China's Economy
    • Europe's Economy
    • European Union
    • Global Economy
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • Geo-economics
    • IMF
    • United States
    • US Economy

    Economic diplomacy: Duelling D-words to delineate China

    Greg Earl
    Australia seems to be treading carefully around the G7’s agreement to de-risk dependence on the region’s biggest economy.
  • 6 Jun 2023
    • Global Economy

    Two views on the best way forward for the “Washington Consensus”

    Jenny Gordon
    It is important to tackle problems of growing market power and that unfettered market mechanisms widen inequality.
  • 12 May 2023
    • Global Economy
    • IMF

    Taming international capital flows

    Stephen Grenville
    Emerging economies have borne the brunt of “easy money” economics, but past wisdom is catching up.  
  • 10 May 2023
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Malaysia’s Anwar seeks Asian Monetary Fund and “dedollarisation”

    Shankaran Nambiar
    By reviving an old idea, Malaysia’s PM hopes to be in the driver’s seat for regional economic leadership.
  • 10 May 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Geo-economics
    • United States

    Biden’s quiet economic revolution

    Nick Bisley
    The guiding hand of the state is back as geopolitics rules.
  • 9 May 2023
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • Multilateral Institutions

    “Play defence” in any collective response to China’s economic coercion

    Victor Ferguson , Viking Bohman
    The cost of fighting back is unlikely to be spread evenly across any coalition, which risks undermining the effort.
  • 3 May 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • IMF
    • Multilateral Development Banks

    International debt: Time for a global restructuring framework

    Stephen Grenville
    In domestic bankruptcy, a specialised institution settles creditors. Why can’t this be the case for emerging economies?
  • 2 May 2023
    • China
    • Laos
    • Global Economy

    What price will Laos need to pay to be saved, and will China pay it?

    Mariza Cooray
    The debt-burdened Southeast Asian nation offers China a chance to recast its reputation.
  • 27 Apr 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Shaky foundations for the New Development Bank

    Filipe Porto , Genevieve Donnellon-May
    A new president for BRICS groupings finance arm must steer geopolitical storms from outside – as well as within.
  • 13 Apr 2023
    • Asia
    • China
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • United States

    Economic diplomacy: Counting the cost of decoupling

    Greg Earl
    US-China tensions are disrupting economic links for other countries as new forecasts of slow growth make change harder.
  • 2 Mar 2023
    • Global Economy
    • Australian trade, investment & economy
    • IMF
    • Trade
    • WTO

    Economic diplomacy: Arming up for war and trade

    Greg Earl
    Sovereign capability is the government’s answer to an old political trade-off in the face of geoeconomic fragmentation.
  • 16 Feb 2023
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Global Economy

    Economic diplomacy: Banking on Asia is hard to escape

    Greg Earl
    Australian banks are stepping back from Asia just as the government pushes for business to diversify away from China.
  • 15 Dec 2022
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • WTO
    • Technology

    Economic diplomacy: From pollie crises to polycrisis

    Greg Earl
    There are political bunfights, strategic challenges and wicked problems, but let’s not “overcrisify” the world.
  • 14 Dec 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Technology

    Why the cryptocurrency ecosystem is a house of cards

    Roland Bouffanais , Sun Sun Lim
    The tumultuous picture surrounding cryptocurrencies this year has been sobering ­– a contagion of negative effects.
  • 1 Dec 2022
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Global Issues
    • Qatar
    • United States

    Economic diplomacy: Scoring goals outside the stadium

    Greg Earl
    Shifting geopolitics and economics make picking the diplomatic champion from the Qatar World Cup more challenging.
  • 17 Nov 2022
    • Asean
    • Indonesia
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Energy
    • Trade
    • Sustainability
    • Technology

    Economic diplomacy: Charging up old ties with Jakarta

    Greg Earl
    Australia has stepped up a trade diversification push despite the first moves towards reconciliation with China.
  • 3 Nov 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Economic diplomacy: Searching for APEC

    Greg Earl
    APEC faces some new competition as Australia considers the sovereign risks involved in reducing domestic gas prices.
  • 20 Oct 2022
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Economic diplomacy: The IMF faces a US$ reality check

    Greg Earl
    The Bretton Woods institutions may face existential challenges from the decoupling of the United States and China.
  • 23 Sep 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia
    • Global Economy
    • Multilateral Development Banks
    • Multilateral Institutions

    Six reasons to be cautious about Australia establishing a DFI

    Jenny Gordon
    As soon as public money is on the table, there will be a line of players looking to “clip the ticket”.
  • 15 Sep 2022
    • Global Economy
    • IMF
    • Transnational Challenges

    Digital finance makes international cooperation even more important

    Jenny Gordon
    In a world without physical cash, differing standards for digital currencies risk creating exclusionary trade blocs.
  • 5 Sep 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Global Economic Governance
    • Digital Disruption
    • International law
    • Technology

    Web3 is coming – with national security implications, too

    Sasha Fegan
    A new internet for the people and by the people is on the horizon. But decentralised power has its own problems.
  • 11 Aug 2022
    • Australia
    • Australia's Economy
    • Defence & Security
    • Global Economy
    • Trade

    Economic diplomacy: No free lunches for national security

    Greg Earl
    New foreign investment rules, nuisance tariffs and supply chains are all under scrutiny by the Productivity Commission.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Poverty

    “Silver lining”: Covid‑19 accelerates progress on financial inclusion

    Clay O’Brien
    Access to financial services can be a key to poverty reduction and increased digitisation during lockdowns has helped.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • China's Economy
    • China
    • Global Economy

    Under pressure: Chinese international graduates in a new China

    Angela Lehmann
    Uncertainly about Covid, high unemployment rates and shifting workforce expectations challenge China’s youth in 2022.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • Southeast Asia
    • Asean
    • Global Economy
    • Coronavirus

    ASEAN and pandemic recovery: Economy before strategic rivalry

    Tiara Putri Indira Dewanti
    Southeast Asia needs international support to rebuild from Covid. But help should not come with strings attached.
  • 26 Jul 2022
    • Global Economy
    • IMF

    Capital flows to emerging economies

    Stephen Grenville
    The International Monetary Fund’s “free-market” view is questioned by economists, who argue for policy intervention.
  • 30 Jun 2022
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative
    • Australia
    • Pacific Islands
    • Global Economy

    Economic diplomacy: Names trump numbers in the new BRI debt battle

    Greg Earl
    As G7 leaders talk up infrastructure spending, Australia’s Pacific family members contemplate how much they can take.
  • 1 Jun 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands
    • IMF

    Don’t saddle Pacific Islands with disaster debt

    Luke Fletcher
    It would be immoral for high-emitting countries to put an extra burden on nations suffering more extreme weather events.
  • 21 Apr 2022
    • Global Economy
    • G20
    • IMF
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Economic diplomacy: After Ukraine, the IMF ponders the future

    Greg Earl
    A decoupling world will still need an old-style cooperative rescue service to repair the economic minefields.
  • 24 Mar 2022
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • IMF
    • Russia
    • Technology
    • Ukraine

    Economic diplomacy: Cryptocurrency (quietly) joins a new world order

    Greg Earl
    From Bitcoin to the greenback, beyond Ukraine a battle is also underway in global finance.
  • 10 Mar 2022
    • Global Issues
    • Global Economy
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Building back better with frenemies after Ukraine

    Greg Earl
    Foreign policy concepts are subtly infiltrating Australia’s federal election campaign in the shadow of an invasion.
  • 4 Mar 2022
    • Defence & Security
    • Global Economy
    • China
    • India
    • Pakistan
    • Australia
    • European Union
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Back in the USSR – surprises in the Russia-Ukraine conflict

    Tim Harcourt
    It’d be funny, if it wasn’t so deadly serious.
  • 3 Mar 2022
    • Russia
    • Ukraine
    • Global Economy

    Sanctions bite – but how dangerously?

    Roland Rajah
    As long as Russian energy revenues continue to flow, Moscow will retain a critical financial lifeline.
  • 1 Mar 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Will cryptocurrency allow Russia to bust sanctions?

    JJ Rose
    Despite the transparency of blockchain-based finance, Moscow is working the dark reaches of the web to move money.
  • 24 Feb 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Public Opinion
    • United States
    • Trade
    • Asean
    • Australia
    • China
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Economic diplomacy: Slow dividends for Australia from ASEAN spending

    Greg Earl
    Amid the Ukraine sanctions showdown, an Indian trade deal looms as a pre-election win for the Morrison government.
  • 10 Feb 2022
    • Asia
    • Global Economy
    • Australia's Economy
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Mission critical as Australia’s own BRI gains pace

    Greg Earl
    Australia’s new embrace of South Korea in minerals, defence, and trade is well-timed as the country catches up to Japan.
  • 10 Feb 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Review

    US monetary policy: the ripple effect

    Stephen Grenville
    A new book probes the inner workings – and functional failures – of America’s enigmatic central banking system.
  • 27 Jan 2022
    • Global Economy
    • The Trans-Pacific Partnership
    • Trade
    • China

    Will the EU step up to secure rules-based Indo-Pacific trade?

    Peter Draper , Naoise McDonagh
    The rivalry with China is systemic and heft is needed to anchor market-orientated trade.
  • 18 Jan 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Pacific Islands

    Bang for buck: Getting the most out of Pacific Islander remittances

    Jessica Collins
    Cash sent by family abroad is essential for local economies but doesn’t come cheap.
  • 14 Jan 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Australia
    • Climate change
    • Environment

    Australia should build its green infrastructure presence

    James Bowen
    The region is taking an increasingly dim view of efforts seeking to protect the fossil fuel trade.
  • 12 Jan 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Review

    History lessons from “The Great Crash”?

    Stephen Grenville
    Optimists always get more airplay than spoilsports predicting an end to the good times. But hindsight tells all.
  • 11 Jan 2022
    • Global Economy
    • Technology
    • Laos

    Kip-to-currency?

    Helen Clark
    One of Asia’s tiny communist nations is looking at blockchain to fuel an economic boom.
  • 21 Dec 2021
    • Global Economy
    • Trade
    • Australia's Economy
    • Australia

    Economic diplomacy: Retro shopping beats the supply chain crisis

    Greg Earl
    WWW Santa beware. The gift trade is still subject to the old-school padded tromp of shoe leather.
  • 16 Dec 2021
    • Global Economy
    • China's Economy
    • China

    Common prosperity meets the Belt and Road

    Henry Storey
    Xi’s emphasis on the “real-economy” could also engender a qualitative shift in the types of investments Beijing makes.
  • 3 Dec 2021
    • Global Economy
    • The Americas
    • China
    • India
    • Russia
    • Africa

    Twenty years of BRICS

    Stephen Grenville
    As analysis by acronym, it has been a stunning success. But for reorganising global economic governance?
  • 2 Dec 2021
    • Global Economy
    • United States
    • Trade
    • WTO
    • Australia
    • China

    Economic diplomacy: Free trade vs economic resilience

    Greg Earl
    From Chinese iPhones to university classrooms, trade in services is being redefined.
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