The secret to successful state-owned enterprises is how they're run
Jan 22, 2016 05:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
State-owned companies are often touted as necessary tools for development in emerging economies. This is because they can be directed by governments to achieve development ends. The model has been a success in some...
Vital Signs: economy limps towards more rate cuts
Jan 22, 2016 03:59 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Vital Signs is a new weekly economic wrap from UNSW economics professor and Harvard PhD Richard Holden (@profholden). Vital Signs aims to contextualise weekly economic events and cut through the noise of the data impacting...
Why we keep getting snared in Islamic State’s propaganda trap
Jan 22, 2016 03:51 am UTC| Insights & Views
The rise of Islamic State (IS) has reaffirmed what al-Qaeda and the Taliban proved last decade: strategic communications, particularly counter-propaganda efforts, remains one of the key weaknesses of Western...
South Korea's 3% growth is not too bad
Jan 22, 2016 02:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy
South Koreas 4Q15 GDP is due next week. The growth is expected to decelerate to 2.0% (QoQ saar), down from 5.3% in 3Q15. The fall in exports and investment should have been the main drag, a reflective of the headwinds from...
How white are the Oscars and does it matter?
Jan 22, 2016 01:54 am UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment
In 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Academy award for best actor in a leading role for Lilies of the Field. It took another 38 years for another African American, Denzel Washington, to...
Gender fluidity is great — but only if you're an icon
Jan 21, 2016 23:49 pm UTC| Insights & Views Entertainment Law
For all that Miley Cyruss cropped hair and crotch-clutching and I dont relate to being boy or girl have inspired articles about gender fluidity as the new in thing, its hard not to see Cyruss trailblazing as derivative of...
China's financial sector a critical test for authorities in 2016
Jan 21, 2016 15:59 pm UTC| Insights & Views Economy
Chinese governments supply-side reforms may affect the asset quality and profitability of overcapacity industries and the financial sector, which could dampen investor confidence in Chinese assets. A slump in key asset...
South Africa’s plan to move away from coal: 8 steps to make it succeed
Germany lowers voting age to 16 for the European elections
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects