Here are a few articles that caught my eye and provide useful recent information that will affect our discussions in class:
1) The great Paul Krugman on how to think about inflation in a world of zero nominal interest rates. The article is complete with an erudite reference to Richard Strauss (can you spot it?). Krugman is at his best when he brings his vast knowledge and understanding of economics to bear on the great issues of our times.
2) One likely effect of the COVID pandemic will be to accelerate automation. From The Guardian, here is a fascinating article on efforts to reduce inter-personal contacts in South Korea, using automation - to build a so-called "untact" society.
3) Sent to me by my former student James Y. Kim (FEMBA 2023), a superb article from Foreign Affairs, authored by two political science professors, on the current state of liberal democracy. The article covers many themes of the Global Trends class, and as such would make excellent introductory reading for the course. Thank you, James!
4) One the biggest environmental issues facing India is the annual burning of crop waste ("stubble burning") in the region near New Delhi. This results in off-the-charts urban air pollution in winter months, with enormous health consequences. Now, it appears that a clever technological solution may help limit the problem. Bloomberg Green has the details. As I strive to cover more environmental issues in Global Trends, this article and the good news that it contains could not come at a better time.
Comments