Read all posts from ‘Global Issues’

Nigeria has come a long way from 1974 when General Gowon said that the problem was not money itself but rather how to spend it. Sadly, the way since then has been been all downhill. Back then we spent more on capital projects and infrastructure than on recurrent spending. These […]

Ever since the negative effects of the global economic crisis began to show in 2009, countries have nearly focused on patching budget deficits and reducing debt to retain “economic health”. But recently European Union leaders have begun to acknowledge that speedy  spending cuts could not be the magic solution for […]

What is the difference between austerity policies and the politics of austerity? At a time when Europe is pondering how to deal with its debt crisis problem, we look back at the experience of Latin America during the 1980s Latin American debt crisis. Understanding what happened then, and recognizing the advances in economics and government, may yield some lessons for Europe.

The choice between austerity and more spending looks like an intergenerational dilemma, and a good test to the ability of the humankind to think beyond a couple of years.

No state in today’s world can escape globalization. The socialist policies adopted by former Egyptian president Nasser in the 1960s might have been suitable for his time. However, the present international system requires the removal of all trade barriers between states. In Egypt, some intellectuals are criticizing Egypt for taking […]