Analysis
Latin America, Testing Ground for Chinese Yuan
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- Written by Fabiana Frayssinet
(From UN Terraviva)
China is looking to Latin America to experiment with the yuan, or renminbi, to replace the dollar, taking advantage of the growth in Chinese trade and investment in this region. But because the volume is still insignificant, it is not yet clear what impact the currency will have on economies in the region.
Corporate citizenship?
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- Written by Peter Weiss
Should corporations have more leeway to kill than people do?
On the responsibility for human rights violations and new legislation in the USA.
Transnational corporations and human rights
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- Written by CETIM
To understand the system of dominant power in contemporary society, it is necessary to understand the role that transnational corporations play within it. And it is important to know how TNCs can continue to violate human rights.
On UNCTAD's TDR Reports...
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- Written by Chakravarthi Raghavan
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), at an UNCTAD-XIII pre-conference event Monday 20 February, marked three decades of its flagship annual publication devoted to the "overall perspective of development in its totality and complexity", as a participant in a panel on the origins and evolving ideas of the Trade and Development Report (TDR) put it.
Under the title, "Thinking Development: Three Decades of the Trade and Development Report", former UNCTAD officials, economists, academics and current diplomats spoke of the TDR and its contribution to independent thinking and exploration of ideas for development, often running counter to the viewpoints and policies promoted by the centers and their international organizations, like the Bretton Woods Institutions and the old GATT and now the WTO controlled by them.
In a presentation dripping with sarcasm ...
More Money of More Development?
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- Written by C. Kenny and A. Summer
What have the MDG's achieved?
Disucssions about what should happen after 2015 are beginning, with sometimes surprising results ...
and also check http://beyond2015.org
Lost Billions: Transfer Pricing in the extractive industries
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- Written by Publish What You Pay
Over 110 billion US$ have disappeared through mispricing of crude oil in the US and the EU between 2000 and 2010 ...
On the impact of an FTT
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- Written by Griffith-Jones & Persaud
This study shows that a Financial Transaction Tax in Europe can have a positive impact on growth and jobs.
When an EU Commissionar takes over the arguments of a social movement
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- Written by Peter Wahl
In an article published on February 1, in the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, EU Commissioner Algirdas Semetas defends the Financial Transaction Tax with precisely the arguments used by the European Finance and Development Network. Worth reading!
Peter Wahl
Thanks for the translation made by Peter Wahl and Markus Gaudus
"Little by little the financial transaction tax approaches its implementation. There is increasing consensus on many aspects of the Commission’s proposal, and with regard to the remaining controversies there are constructive contributions being made. Simultaneously a massive wave in support for the FTT has emerged among citizens. For them, the benefits of this tax are clear: An equitable distribution of the tax burden, a more stable financial sector and considerable additional revenues.
Read more: When an EU Commissionar takes over the arguments of a social movement
Working towards a never-ending democracy
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- Written by Antonio Martins
For five centuries, Europe has taken it upon itself to enlighten the world, teaching it ways to address and overcome crises, from ideas and wars to missionary work and genocides. But it forgot it only held a part of the world's knowledge and now it is on the verge of the abyss, and it is time for a different approach. That is the assessment made by Portuguese sociologist Boaventura Sousa Santos who spoke to an audience of 300 at the Thematic Social Forum(TSF), which is being held from Jan. 24 to 29 in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre and surrounding municipalities.
The Class of Davos
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- Written by TNI
In a small ski resort in the Swiss Alps, thousands of corporate and political elites gather at the exclusive World Economic Forum during an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy. Its founding President, Klaus Schwab has admitted that capitalism "is out of whack" and needs fixing. Schwab argues that the economic crises we face are due to excesses and "lack of inclusiveness."
To mark the occasion, the Transnational Institute has produced a series of powerful infographics to expose the reality of corporate power and its immense social and environmental costs. They show that the problems are systemic and a result of the hijack of political and economic policy by a small corporate elite. The Davos Class cannot possibly find a solution, because their entrenched power is the reason for the crises.
