EU-India Free Trade Talks: In Whose Interest?

WDEV Recent Issues

Issue 6/Nov-Dec 2011

G20: Wrong forum for development + German aid under Niebel + London contra FTT + Food speculation: How it works

Issue 5/Sep-Oct 2011

The global social crisis +++ Thanks to Germany it's 2008 all over again +++ Nepal: Second chance for Maoists

Issue 4/Jul-Aug 2011

Non-FDI modes of international production + Bail-out 2.0 for Greece + Europe: Tobin tax on the move

Issue 3/May-Jun 2011

Survey on trade union rights violation + BRICS on the new IMF director + Greece and the euro + Green Economy for LDCs?

Issue 2/Mar-Apr 2011

LDC-IV in Istanbul +++ Reforming the global monetary system: Whick role for the IMF +++ Escalation of food prices +++ Remittances and development

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WDEV Highlights

Myanmar - a new darling of the West

After decades of isolation - imposed by major OECD countries out of concern for the country's human rights violations - Myanmar is emerging as a new darling of the "West" - judging by the accelerating succession of visits by senior officials and gurus. New groups of investors are waiting to enter the country as soon as possible.

Prognosis 2012: On the brink of a global recession

Persistent high unemployment, the euro area debt crisis and premature fiscal austerity have already slowed global growth and factor into the possibility of a new recession. Now the United Nations have downgraded significantly its forecasts for the world economy in the next year.

Back to the IMF? Hungary under siege by creditors

Eastern European states are in for a new round of the crisis. The external control of the banking sector and high reliance on external credit has landed the countries of Eastern Europe in a vulnerable position. Now, credit flows from Western banks are drying up again. Hungary has been the first country in the region to ask for IMF support again.

G20: The wrong forum for development policy

While the G20 efforts to manage global aggregate demand, exchange rate management and stronger regulation of the international financial sector have not worked out quite as planned, in Cannes the Group was further solidifying its role in directing the system of multilateral institutions.

Reality of German aid is changing under Niebel

In November 2011, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is celebrating its 50th anniversary.The new Minister, Dirk Niebel of the (neo)-liberal FDP has launched a 'radical change of course'. In the recent edition of the Reality of Aid shadow report the change is analyzed.