Carl Bildt: In defence of globalization

World Economic Forum

I must confess that I am a firm believer in the benefits of globalization. To my mind, the gradual interlinking of regions, countries, and people is the most profoundly positive development of our time.

But a populist has now assumed the United States presidency by campaigning on a platform of stark economic nationalism and protectionism. And in many countries, public discourse is dominated by talk of globalization’s alleged “losers,” and the perceived need for new policies to stem the rise of populist discontent.

When I was born, the world’s population was 2.5 billion. I vividly recall a time in my life when many people feared that starvation would soon run rampant, gaps between the rich and poor would grow ever wider, and everything would eventually come crashing down.

Greece Needs a 21st Century Marshall Plan

By Dimitri B. Papadimitriou Aug 12, 2013 1:00 AM GMT+0300

At their White House meeting last week, U.S. President Barack Obama assured Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of his support as Greece prepares for talks with creditors on additional debt relief amid record-high unemployment.

Jim Armitage: A glimmer of hope for Greece but it's still going to be a long haul

There have been real reforms made to reduce labour costs, pensions and so forth

JIM ARMITAGE    FRIDAY 08 FEBRUARY 2013

The Independent

Global Outlook To visit Athens these days is to witness the flesh-and-blood, bricks-and-mortar embodiment of an economy gone badly wrong.

Wealth and Poverty in a University Town

Huffington Post

Rena N. Lauer

Ph.D Candidate, Harvard

Posted: 01/25/2013 6:32 pm

The cashier told the woman in front of me that she couldn't buy the sack of potatoes. WIC, the government food program for mothers and children, would not pay for starches, and so the potatoes she had chosen -- "mistaking" them for a vegetable -- had to go back to the supermarket's shelves.

Will Your Mother Live in Poverty?

Victoria Pynchon, Contributor

FORBES

http://www.forbes.com/sites/shenegotiates/2013/01/26/will-your-mother-live-in-poverty/

A recent news release by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicts poverty for mothers in their elder years.

Can we fight poverty by ending extreme wealth?

Posted by Olga Khazan on January 20, 2013 at 8:00 am

The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/20/oxfam-poverty-income-inequality/

In a sign that the “Occupy” and “99 percent” movements that swept the United States in recent years have taken on increased global relevance, Oxfam International this week called for “a new global goal to end extreme wealth by 2025,” as a way to stem income inequality and continue the fight against poverty.

Number of U.S. working poor families grows as wealth gap widens

By Susan Heavey

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The number of U.S. families struggling with poverty despite parents being employed continued to grow in 2011 as more people returned to work but mostly at lower-paying service jobs, an analysis released on Tuesday shows.

Greeks Raid Forests in Search of Wood to Heat Homes

The Wall Street Journal

EGALEO, Greece—While patrolling on a recent cold night, environmentalist Grigoris Gourdomichalis caught a young man illegally chopping down a tree on public land in the mountains above Athens.

New Year Resolutions

Posted: 01/04/2013 2:57 pm

Marian Wright EdelmanPresident, Children's Defense Fund

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

As New Year’s Eve countdowns wound down, many people turned to the familiar ritual of taking stock of where they are now to make resolutions for what they can do better in the new year. We all measure our accomplishments and shortcomings in different ways. Some people count numbers on a scale or in a savings account. But what if we decided to take stock as a nation by measuring how we treat our children?

Struggles Mount for Greeks as Economy Faces Winter

By MARCUS WALKER and MARIANNA KAKAOUNAKI

The Wall Street Journal

...Ms. Katri had a Dickensian image of the former orphanage, she says, as "a place where children are punished." However, she says the foundation has been good to her son,...

...The slumping economy and the retreat of the welfare state under austerity has caused a wave of requests to take children into care...

...Since 2011, more than 700 families have asked the Greek branch of international charity SOS Children's Villages to take in a child for economic reasons...