Global Trade Policy
Risk, Uncertainty and the Problem of Adjustment
Efforts to form a new government in Athens failed over the weekend, raising the prospects of new elections and Greece’s possible exit from the eurozone. Financial markets have responded predictably: equity prices are down while bond yields are at new euro-era highs in Spain, but down in Germany. Meanwhile, ominous warnings issue forth from Brussels about a possible amicable divorce between Greece and its euro zone partners.
Grants of up to $250,000 available for researchers through CIGI-INET’s Spring 2012 Program
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) are accepting research proposals for their joint Spring 2012 Grant Program, with grants ranging in value from $25,000 to $250,000.
A tale of two very different summits
"The outcomes could not have been more different — one a resounding success, the other a remarkable fiasco," writes CIGI Distinguished Fellow Jorge Heine in comparing the recent BRICS summit and the Summit of the Americas.
Will the BRICS Nations Evolve into a More Powerful Bloc?
“ All indications are that this 'emerging-powers club will continue to grow into a significant agenda-setting body,” CIGI Distinguished Fellow Jorge says of the fourth annual BRICS summit, as part of the Latin America Advisor's Featured Q&A.
CIGI co-sponsors conference on strengthening the FSB
CIGI, along with the Bank of Mexico and the Bank of Canada, was a co-sponsor of a conference on the strengthening of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), held in Mexico City April 12-13, 2012.
Five Canadians among 29 recipients of $4M in CIGI-INET research grants
Five Canadians are among 29 recipients of a total of $4 million in grants for research projects, announced by The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET).
Islands in the Sun Revisited: Models of Aggregate Demand
Mark Thoma over at Economist View has an interesting post on output gaps in recoveries. It is well worth reading. His point, briefly, is that potential output has a cyclical component that increases or decreases along with demand. When there is a shock to aggregate demand, firms lay off workers, reducing aggregate supply. By the same token, if firms hire previously unemployed workers in response to an increase in aggregate demand, aggregate supply increases.
Caribbean maritime infrastructure needs overhaul to keep pace with global supply chain, says new CIGI paper
Caribbean maritime infrastructure “needs to undergo a major physical, legislative and labour practices overhaul” in order to be sustainable and efficient, says a new paper by CIGI.
New CIGI interactive blogging platform offers expert commentary on global governance issues
CIGI invites foreign affairs journalists seeking expert opinions on current global governance issues and trends to visit the new CIGI Blogs interactive platform.
Inside the Issues 2.21 - The "Extraordinary" US-Canada Partnership
Prior to his February 29 signature lecture, the US Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, visited the CIGI studio to discuss what he calls the "most extraordinary closest relationship that exists between two countries in the world."
The Murky World of Offshore Internet Gambling Revisited
The panel that I have organized for the ISA annual Convention in early April addresses the theme of Drugs, Gambling and Sex: Interrogating the Connections/Disconnects Between the Licit and Illicit.
The (hopefully) catchy nature of the title however should not mask the seriousness of the issues addressed through this type of research. What jumps out in areas such as Internet Gambling (IG) – the topic of my own presentation – is the grey or murky area between the legal and the illegal.
EU at stalemate over oilsands labelling
An important vote at the European Union Parliament over the labelling and classification of Canada's oilsands crude has resulted in a stalemate. CBC Radio's Eyeopener host David Gray discusses the issue with CIGI Senior Fellow Debra Steger.
WTO Resilient But Changed After Ministerial
The recent ministerial meeting held in Geneva in December, demonstrated that while the Doha Round may be dead, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is resilient, but changed as an organization. In fact, the meeting surprised many hardened observers by producing some tangible deliverables .
Inside the Issues 2.16 - The Idea of North America
Though the appetite for North American integration has been in flux for the past 100 years, Robert Pastor argues that closer cooperation is not only possible, but an easier than many think. The author of The Idea of North America and professor at American University, Pastor describes the opportunities and challenges facing the emergence of a common continental identity.
Commerce trumps human rights in Canada's global agenda: critics
"There's almost a disposition to think that political officers are of no value," Distinguished Fellow Paul Heinbecker says of the Canadian government's approach to non-trade diplomats.
March meeting should shed light on TPP fate
In an article on Canada's involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, CIGI Senior Fellow Debra Steger comments on the challenges and vulnerabilities Canada faces with regard to the supply management of its dairy and poultry industries.
A World View of the Economy in 2012
In his latest to Huffington Post Canada, CIGI Distinguished Fellow Andrew Cooper looks at what some of the possible developments will be in the global economy for 2012.
Major foreign policy rethink coming in 2012
In an article in Embassy magazine, CIGI Distinguished Fellow Paul Heinbecker is among those who thinks Canada is "headed towards a fundamental re-shaping of its foreign policy." He comments that the government is likely to emphasize trade next year, with a focus on the EU and India deals along with Canada's relationship with Asia in general.
Canada and the US: Beyond the Border
CIGI's Stephen Clarkson participates in a debate, on TVO's The Agenda, which discusses the recent US-Canada border deal.
Beyond the Border a game changer? Hardly
CIGI Senior Fellow Stephen Clarkson argues, in The Globe and Mail, that the recent Canada-US border deal is no significant game changer.