REFERENCE UPDATE

Reference Update - June 2008

ECONOMIC SECURITY AND TRADE

1. "Rising Food Prices in East Asia: Challenges and Policy Options"
Milan Brahmbhatt and Luc Christiaensen. The World Bank, May 2008, 18 pages
Rising food prices are affecting many developing countries in East Asia in various ways, including higher inflation, slowing the pace of poverty reduction, and rising concerns about civil unrest. The authors examine the reasons for the surge in world food prices, particularly that of rice, and review the economic and poverty impacts of rising food prices in East Asian countries. They also assess policy responses undertaken by East Asian economies to date and discuss upcoming policy options, including the importance of regional and international cooperation in addressing high food prices.

2. A Call for an "Asian Plaza"
C. Fred Bergsten. The International Economy, Spring 2008, 5 pages
The U.S. current account deficit highlights and indeed exposes several other actual or potential imbalances that could induce major risks for the world economy, international financial stability, and the trading system. The author calls for urgent new policy initiatives to avoid the free fall of dollar, including an "Asian Plaza Agreement" or coordinated realignment of Asian currencies against the dollar. Bergsten believes the "new G5" -- China, Saudi Arabia, U.S., EU, and Japan -- should use this agenda to conduct its multilateral surveillance program and seize the moment to replace the G7 as the key steering committee for the world economy.

3. What Went Wrong
The Economist, March 22, 2008, 2 pages
This article examines how close Wall Street came to a systemic collapse and how the financial system will change as a result. The article states that many bankers and financial analysts were operating under false assumptions. From 1980 to 2007, profits in the financial services industry climbed far faster than its value add. In addition, extensive use of debt made many firms vulnerable to economic downturns. The article concludes that lessons from this crisis will make the industry wiser and stronger in the future.

4. "The End of Liberal Globalization"
Michael F. Oppenheimer. World Policy Journal, Winter 2007/08, 9 pages
Even though many aspects of globalization -- the rapid advance and diffusion of technology, the proliferation of private transnational actors, and the centrality of economic growth -- are well established and probably irreversible, the liberal form of globalization that has shaped the world over the past 60 years is in steep decline. The article discusses the decline of the liberal form of globalization in the United States, which will imperil the economic and political benefits of growth, poverty alleviation, and relative peace among great powers. It also examines the major reasons for that decline, and principle factors challenging liberal globalization.

REGIONAL SECURITY

5. America and the World
The Economist, March 29, 2008, 14 pages
America's foreign policy may change under the next president, but worries about overstretch and divisions over the country's role in the world will remain. The article examines the status of the Bush doctrine on global involvements. It also looks at the Democrat parties surge as it tries to change U.S. foreign policy, as well as improve its global image and focus on international terrorism.

6. "The Future of American Power"
Fareed Zakaria. Foreign Affairs, May/June 2008, 26 pages
Most of the rest of the world is challenging U.S. industrial, financial, social, and cultural power. Even though the United States has the strength and dynamism to continue shaping the world, it has to overcome its political dysfunction and reorient U.S. policy for a world defined by the rise of other powers. The author examines whether the United States can fix its political system in order to keep its economy and society competitive.

7. "The Accidental Foreign Policy"
Matthew Yglesias. The Atlantic, June 2008, 2 pages
According to the author, Barack Obama's foreign-policy approach is not characterized by "new ideas, as there are no genuinely new ideas about how to manage America's place in the world. Nor does it involve any strained attempts to develop a theoretical worldview from which all conclusions must follow. The article looks at the foreign policy views held by 2008 U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama and notes that he has promoted a policy to meet directly with foreign heads of state, which is different from the approach expounded by most politicians in 2008.

8. The New Powerhouses: Think Tanks and Foreign Policy
Howard J. Wiarda. American Foreign Policy Interests, February 2008, 22 pages
Many think tanks play an important role in American foreign policymaking that there have been concerns about them becoming further instruments of the divisiveness, fragmentation, and disarray that now characterize American foreign policymaking. This article not only explains what think tanks are and what they do, but also provides a fascinating history of how American foreign policymaking has evolved since the post-World War II era, highlighting steps that led to its outsourcing and privatization.

GLOBAL ISSUES AND ENVIRONMENT

9. An Oceans Manifesto: The Present Global Crisis
Alan B. Sielen. The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Winter 2008, 23 pages
The many ways that the oceans can refresh and enrich the human spirit are as legendary as their awesome terrors. That said, human activities can pose extensive damage to oceans and coasts. The author explores ways for the international community to avoid the ecological destruction facing the world’s oceans without diverting attention or draining scarce resources from other pressing national and international concerns.

10. Bioviolence: A Growing Threat
Barry Kellman. The Futurist, May/June 2008, 6 pages
The nuclear threat has been a nightmare scenario for more than a half century, but an even more frightening possibility is the deliberate spread of fatal diseases such as Ebola, smallpox, or Anthrax. At present, there has been no single international authority tracking or preventing the use of bioweapons and this "nobody-in-charge" situation could prove disastrous to humanity. In this article, several strategies for preventing bioviolence are examined.

11. Think Globally, But Where to Start?
Amy S. Blaine. Searcher, March 2008, 6 pages
Nowadays, every newscast, paper, and magazine includes a segment or column on celebrities or industries "going green," but what exactly does this buzz phrase mean to the ordinary individual who is busy with work, play, and family life? Fortunately, for the green newbie, a plethora of websites and blogs exist that provide suggestions for making greener choices. This article offers information on several web sites that promote the green concept.

MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

12. New Media as the Message
Alexis Simendinger. National Journal. April 19, 2008. 5 pages
The author examines presidential campaign strategies utilizing new media approaches including the Internet, social networking and other new technologies for organizing potential voters. The 2008 twist on political messaging seizes the power of two communications technologies at once. First, the ability of television to engage a broad audience using emoticons, music, and moving images and, second, the capacity of text messaging to establish social links that can help transform citizen engagement into political support, one person at a time.

13. Riding the Waves of Today’s Online Web Tools
Edward Metz. Online, January/February 2008, 4 pages
The author finds that the old days of Web surfing – in which users went from site to site to check on the latest content updates -- are long gone, being replaced by RSS feeds and online news aggregators. Now, as more productivity tools become available online and social networking tools proliferate, the author opines that it would certainly be helpful to have just one single platform to host and organize all of these services. To this end, the author explores iGoogle, a platform that stores some 25,000 content modules or gadgets, as these mini-Web applications are called.

U.S. SOCIETY AND CULTURE

14. Best Practices for Achieving High, Rapid Reading Gains
Marie Carbo. The Education Digest. March 2008, 4 pages
The article presents strategies for school principals seeking to increase levels of reading achievement among their students. Educational strategies, including focusing on reading strengths rather than weaknesses, reducing stress associated with reading, and making use of modeling methods are explored. The article also provides a list of Internet resources concerning reading instruction.

15. Social Exclusion and the Gender Gap in Education
Maureen Lewis and Marlaine Lockheed. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper#4562, March 2008, 40 pages
Despite a sharp increase in the share of girls who enroll in, attend, and complete various levels of schooling, an educational gender gap remains in some countries. The authors discuss the importance of female education for economic and social development. A review of evidence regarding gender and ethnic differences in schooling and the theoretical perspectives of various social science disciplines that seek to explain such differences are also provided.

16. Minds on Fire
John Seely Brown and Richard P. Adler. Educause Review, January/February 2008, 11 pages
It is unlikely that sufficient resources will be available to build enough new campuses to meet the growing global demand for higher education—at least not the sort of campuses traditionally built for colleges and universities. With the growth and evolution of the Internet, it is highly unlikely that the current methods of teaching and learning will adequately prepare students for the lives they will lead in the 21st century. The authors address the problem of growing global demand for higher education and discuss the impact of the Internet on this field.

17. Happy Trails
Diane Bramble and Lois Sandusky. Connect Magazine, May/June 2008, 4 pages
How do teachers make nature an integral part of a child's life? At Friends' School, an elementary school in Boulder, Colorado, the teachers guide students in its 2nd grade class to fall in love with nature by increasing their knowledge about the outdoors and respect for the environment. The authors discuss the importance of taking children outside as part of their educational development.

18. The First 21st-Century Campaign
Ronald Brownstein. National Journal, April 19, 2008, 7 pages
In scope and sweep, tactics and scale, the marathon struggle between Obama and Clinton has triggered such a vast evolutionary leap in the way candidates pursue the presidency that it is likely to be remembered as the first true 21st-century campaign. Brownstein examines the campaign strategies adopted by U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and provides numerous examples of their successful campaign techniques.
 
19. The 2008 Presidential Primaries: What in America's Name Is Going On?
Charles E. Cook. The Washington Quarterly, Summer 2008, 12 pages
Although every presidential campaign sees unexpected twists and turns, the 2008 presidential race has unquestionably featured more surprises and greater volatility than any in 40 years. How will Barack Obama, still a relatively unknown name, be seen by voters as the presidential campaign progresses? Turning 72 years of age in August, will McCain be perceived as experienced and wise or as too old and living in the past? What roles will the war in Iraq and the weak economy play? Cook provides an analysis of the very close race and a set of even more challenging circumstances faced by both Republican and Democrat parties.

20. An Elemental Definition of Democracy and its Advantages for Comparing Political Regime Types
Lise Storm. Democratization, April 2008, 15 pages
The study of democracy today is confusing due to the many definitions applied. In addition, it is also flawed, in that cases are excluded because they suffer from the unfortunate circumstance of undergoing a particular sequence of democratic developments according to unrecognized patterns. This article attempts to spark debate that hopefully leads to a new definition of democracy - one that is neutral in its view of the different elements of democracy and can be applied to regimes across the globe.

21. Human Rights, Intellectual Property, and Struggles for Recognition
Volker Heins. Human Rights Review, April 2008, 20 pages
Many activists have claimed that intellectual property rights (IPR) conflicts with human rights, while others argue that IPR itself is a human right. This article examines recent controversies over the relationship between human rights and IPR by approaching the debate as an opportunity to clarify the nature of IPR in relation to human rights, as well as the nature of contemporary struggles over these rights.

TRANSLATED DOCUMENTS

The following articles are from “USA Economy in brief” – a publication of The Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. State Department, July 2007.

22. Goods and Services
A national economy comprises a country's production of goods and services. Real gross domestic product (GDP) measures such output produced by labor and property in the United States.

23. A Service Economy
Services produced by private industry accounted for 67.8 percent of U.S. gross domestic product in 2006, with real estate and financial services such as banking, insurance, and investment on top. Some other categories of services are wholesale and retail sales; transportation; health care; legal, scientific, and management services; education; arts; entertainment; recreation; hotels and other accommodation; restaurants, bars, and other food and beverage services.

24. Creative Destruction
With a large land mass, natural resources, a stable government, and a relatively well-educated workforce, the U.S. economy has some competitive advantages in the world marketplace. Importantly, it also has a willingness to endure, even embrace, change.

25. Businesses Large and Small
Small businesses, those having fewer than 500 employees, loom large in the U.S. economy. They can respond quickly to changing economic conditions and customer needs with innovative technical solutions to production problems. Their share of nonfarm GDP reached 50.7 percent in 2004.

26. Workers and Productivity
"America's high standard of living is due to the fact that American workers are among the most productive in the world, and a greater share of the American population works than in many other countries," according to the Council on Competitiveness.

27. The Role of Government
Some people complain that government regulation of the economy is too little, too late. Others scoff that the U.S. economy is no free market at all, with so much regulation. Some of the most enduring debates of U.S. economic history focus on the role of government.

28. Macroeconomic Policy
The federal government aims to promote the conditions required for steady economic expansion and high levels of employment, especially a stable general price level and a tolerable tax burden. The Federal Reserve, the independent U.S. central bank, manages the money supply and use of credit (monetary policy), while the president and Congress adjust federal spending and taxes (fiscal policy).