GeoEconomics Center

At the intersection of economics, finance, and foreign policy, the GeoEconomics Center is a translation hub with the goal of helping shape a better global economic future.

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Report

Dec 7, 2016

Eritrea’s economy: Ideology and opportunity

By Seth Kaplan

Eritrea is often in the news for all the wrong reasons: its high rates of migration to Europe (it has sent more refugees to Europe in recent years than any other African nation), its conflicts with neighboring Ethiopia and Djibouti, and controversy over its mandatory and indefinite national service conscription program. Human rights activists, in […]

Africa East Africa

Report

Nov 2, 2016

The EU’s Capital Markets Union

By Zdenek Kudrna

The European Union (EU) is facing numerous crises, including massive migration flows, the UK’s vote to leave the EU (Brexit), and rising support for anti-EU and populist parties. In “The EU’s Capital Markets Union—Unlocking Investment Through Gradual Integration,” author Zdenek Kudrna, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Salzburg, argues that these crises all share […]

Economy & Business European Union

Report

Oct 5, 2016

Europe Needs To Trim Its Excessive Fiscal Burden

By Anders Åslund

Europe suffers from two major handicaps: poor economic growth and high unemployment. In Europe Needs To Trim Its Excessive Fiscal Burden, Anders Åslund argues that Europe needs more structural reforms to solve these problems. Åslund addresses some fundamental questions on excessive fiscal burden: Why have public expenditures become higher in the EU than in other countries […]

Economy & Business European Union

Bremain vs Brexit

Jun 6, 2016

To Brexit or to Bremain? That is the Question

By Nauro Ferreira Campos and Fabrizio Coricelli

With the impending Brexit referendum on June 23, economists must anticipate the ramifications of the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU). This is the first time the voluntary integration of the EU has been threatened, and creates a distressing existential question: is EU membership valuable enough? In the brief, “To Brexit or Bremain? […]

Economy & Business Elections

Report

May 10, 2016

Last Call for TTIP: The Views of European Diplomats in Washington, DC

By Marie Kasperek and Andrea Montanino

After more than three years of negotiations to forge a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), many elements of the agreement are still far from settled. However, it is possible to reach agreement in 2016. The negotiators are determined, and there is mounting awareness that an agreement that underscores the importance of the transatlantic economic […]

Economy & Business European Union

Issue Brief

Apr 14, 2016

Embracing Impact: How Africa Can Overcome the Emerging Market Downturn

By J. Peter Pham and Aubrey Hruby

In January 2016, oil prices fell to their lowest levels in more than a decade. Meanwhile, China, the world’s second-largest economy, is experiencing its most sluggish growth in a quarter-century—dragging down commodity prices and dampening the global economic outlook. The effects of this broad slowdown will hurt African economies more than most, because China and […]

Africa Angola

EconoGraphics

Mar 24, 2016

The French Way of Reforms

By Alvaro Morales Salto Weis & TK Spandhla

France’s economy has struggled to grow in recent years, expanding by a mere 1.1% in 2015. Meanwhile its unemployment rate has stubbornly lingered around 10%, with a slight upwards trend.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

Report

Dec 16, 2015

Diversifying African Trade: The road to progress

By Aubrey Hruby

As World Trade Organization members meet in Nairobi, Kenya, for their 2015 Ministerial, the potential economic impact of African trade—for Africa, but also the rest of the world—has never been more relevant. Home to thirty-three of the world’s least developed countries and only responsible for 3 percent of global trade, Africa stands to reap enormous […]

Africa East Africa

EconoGraphics

Jul 22, 2015

Has Greece Been Effective at Downsizing Its Public Sector?

By Global Business and Economics

Greece and its EU counterparts made progress last week on negotiations, but some policy makers question whether Greece will truly adopt the measures necessary to recover economic stability.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

EconoGraphics

May 12, 2015

Two Decades of Sovereign Debt

By Global Business & Economics

Sovereign default is considered to be a rare event. But as the lessons of the past two decades show, they are far from extraordinary. According to the IMF, the main sovereign debt restructurings from the period spanning 1998 – 2010 totaled $117.6 billion. When Greece’s 2012 default is added to that sum, it means that […]

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

Experts