Category: Current Affairs

Hong Kong Protests: Danger, Democracy, and Disillusionment in the Far East

On Sunday, 18th August,  1.7 million people gathered in Hong Kong’s second-largest pro-democracy march, defying a police ban and increasingly sinister warnings from the Chinese Central government. The demonstration, the latest in a series of protests which have gripped the island region, was initially sparked in June 2019 by a widely controversial extradition-bill which would empower local authorities to detain and extradite individuals to countries Hong Kong does not have formal agreements with, including Mainland China and Macau. Fears were ignited that these laws would undermine the autonomy of the region by placing Hong Kongers and visitors under mainland Chinese jurisdiction, where forced confessions and unfair trial procedures for political prisoners are common. Continue reading “Hong Kong Protests: Danger, Democracy, and Disillusionment in the Far East” →

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The Roar of the Asian Economy: If Asia is the economic engine of the future, who drives the car?

In a two-part series, the Warwick Economics Summit explores how changing consumption, trade and business patterns are set to reshape the global economy, and how the might of the Asian consumer is pulling the centre of economic gravity towards them.

In the second part of the series, we wonder if the political power will shift as well, most notably the tango of values between the United States and China. It might be the case that the economic engine of the world is the East, but the political driver may very well be the West. 

Continue reading “The Roar of the Asian Economy: If Asia is the economic engine of the future, who drives the car?” →

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WES Exclusive: The Center for China and Globalisation on US Protectionism and China’s faltering growth

Donald Trump has triumphantly claimed his tariffs are the primary cause for China’s slowest GDP growth in three decades. Unconvinced, we asked the Center for China and Globalisation for their views.

China’s softening economy came at the back of a tumultuous trade war with Washington, where its exports suffered heavily due to tariffs from the US. In turn, this affected the GDP numbers for China which recorded a year-on-year growth of 6.2 percent, its lowest since records began. Impulsive as ever, President Trump immediately tweeted that China’s ailing GDP is a result of the effectiveness of the US’s tariffs.

But many are unconvinced the dip in China’s economic numbers can be largely credited to President Trump’s trade war. For that, the Warwick Economics Summit reached out to the Center for China and Globalisation (CCG), a leading Chinese non-governmental think-tank based in Beijing, for their thoughts on the factors that led to China’s faltering performance.

Continue reading “WES Exclusive: The Center for China and Globalisation on US Protectionism and China’s faltering growth” →

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WES Exclusive: The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) on the Japanese Oil Tanker Attack and its consequences for Europe

On June 13th, a Japanese tanker was attacked off the Gulf of Oman, provoking accusations by the US of Iranian culpability. Numerous conflicting reports have cast doubt on the US’s accusations and ignited uncertainty of how Europe should best respond to prevent the situation escalating further.

WES had the exclusive privilege of receiving comment on the matter from the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC), an independent think-tank focused on European, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern regional policy.

Continue reading “WES Exclusive: The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) on the Japanese Oil Tanker Attack and its consequences for Europe” →

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The End of Fiscal Conservatism? The largest shift in economic policymaking in a generation

A politician seen not advocating for fiscal conservatism is to flirt dangerously close with the label of being fiscally irresponsible. For decades now, policymakers in the US kept a tight rein on public finances to ensure the public debt ratio stays low, while the central bank routinely seeks to contain economic booms and busts. Exercising fiscal discipline has always been synonymous with good governance, or so we thought.

Continue reading “The End of Fiscal Conservatism? The largest shift in economic policymaking in a generation” →

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Jagjit Chadha – What do economists have to offer to policy making?

“A hell of a lot. Whether policymakers take our advice is the real question.”

This year’s WES Presents was kicked off by Professor Jagjit Chadha, director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). In a time where the role of experts seems to be increasingly distrusted in public discourse, he highlighted the value of rigorous economic analysis rather than reductive political sensationalism in the search for the right answers in policy, forecasting and analysis of the past.

Continue reading “Jagjit Chadha – What do economists have to offer to policy making?” →

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Race to One Trillion: Amazon’s Affairs in Washington

This is the second part of our analysis of Amazon’s rise to 1 trillion. Today, we look at the changing relations between Amazon and the US political circles.

When a company registers £178 billion revenue and employs 560,000 people, it does not go unseen in Washington’s, London’s or Brussels’ corridors of power. Amazon is no exception. The online retailer’s relation with politics is complex, being alternatively cooperative or detached, but is always functional to profit maximisation. Continue reading “Race to One Trillion: Amazon’s Affairs in Washington” →

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