Stories about Economics & Business from December, 2011
Bangladesh: Debt Storm Rising?
Mukti is alarmed by the steep rise of Bangladesh government’s domestic debt which is triggering downfall of credit growth in the private sector thus stopping investment.
Singapore: Latest Job Statistics
Leong Sze Hian reviews the report published by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower about the latest job, wage, and other economic indicators. The report mentioned that real average monthly earnings fell this year in Singapore
St. Kitts & Nevis: Making Financial Progress
Abeng News Magazine has an update on the St. Kitts debt default, here.
Cuba: Food History
Iván García reviews Fidel Castro's history with “experiments”, saying: “The ex-president has put his foot in it many times. In all fields. The most painful has been in regard to food.”
Argentina's Corruption Problem
Simon Kofoed writes about corruption in Argentina in his blog argen-times: “The culture of corruption in Argentina […] is so strong that everyone knows it’s happening but most will just shrug their shoulders in typical Argentina fashion and say ‘what are you gonna do?’ It’s understood that it’s either get...
Slovakia: The Most Expensive Apple Computers
University of Economics in Bratislava (EUBA) has recently signed a contract to acquire electronics and software for its Faculty of National Economy for a total price of over 1.8 million euro. Many of the items are overpriced. Tibor Blazko reports.
Brazil: On a Bill that Bans Drinking in Public Places
Brazilian blogger Leonardo Cisneiros comments on [pt] a proposed bill in the city of Recife (Pernambuco state) that prohibits the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places. The proposed bill has caused mixed reactions among the population, including a motion of disgust [pt] and online reactions that have been censored...
Singapore: Stories of Migrant Workers
The number of foreign workers in Singapore continues to rise but little is known about their working and housing conditions. Curious to know the personal stories of migrant workers in prosperous Singapore, three interns conceptualized the ‘Made by Migrants’ project and documented the daily activities of construction workers for two weeks
Indonesia: Cost of Corruption
Colson writes about the cost of corruption in Indonesia. In the past five years, it's estimated that $3.3 billion of government funds were lost to corruption.
Ghana: Ghana should not ban second-hand cars
The Ghanaian Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, says that legislation will be coming into Ghana to ban the importation of second -hand cars. Bello disagrees:”How are Ghanaians supposed to afford brand new cars? We don't have our own car manufacturing industry to drive costs down.”
China, U.S.A: Housing Prices
Dan from China Law Blog compares the housing prices among cities in China and U.S.A.
Russia: Interview With an “Overseas Filipino Worker”
English Dad in Moscow interviews a woman from the Philippines who works as a cleaner and babysitter in Moscow: “I wanted to know how hard is to move here as an economic migrant, also known as a “OFW” (Overseas Filipino Worker) as I find it amazing that they move to...
Philippines: “Occupy” Protests Overcome Police Brutality
Police violently dispersed the 'Occupy-like' protest of youth groups in the Philippines but the 'Campout' continued for several days near the presidential palace and managed to draw thousands of young people in the streets.
Zambia: President Sata Accuses Central Bank of Printing Fake Money
The recent dramatic disclosures of corruption in Zambia have been met with mixed reactions with some netizens supporting the government's actions while others expressly disapprove of the way the president is handling national affairs.
China: Cloud Computing Turned into Real Estate Business
China Bubble Watch alerts the readers that a number of cloud computing centers in China are turning into real estate development projects.
Cuba: Same Old Story
Laritza's Laws compares the content of a 1989 edition of “Granma…the official mouthpiece of the Central Committee of the Party” to a current one, and says: “The failure is evident. The housing situation is precarious…public services in decline; and don’t even talk about the protection of the workers…”
Bhutan: What Caused The Rupee Crisis?
Tshering Tobgay writes about the recent rupee crisis in Bhutan and how the government could prevent it.
Japan: Lifestyle and Awareness Changes after the Earthquake
The Japan for Sustainability blog summarized results of various questionnaires that indicate how Japanese lifestyles and awareness have changed after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Subjects include energy, nature, inter-personal relationships, careers, and marriage.
Syria: Getting Rid of Assad is the Easy Part
“Getting rid of [Syrian president Bashar Al] Assad is the easy part,” writes Syrian blogger Maysaloon. “Syria has many problems that will need to be addressed urgently. These are: A deficient, if not highly damaging, judicial and political system; endemic corruption, environmental degradation and desertification; poverty; a potential for an...
Cuba: Housing Backlog
“As of the enactment of the new norms decreed by the Council of State, which modifies the law regarding housing, Cuban property owners are running en masse to the Notary of Property Registration in order to comply with the new laws” – but according to Laritza's Laws, “not all has...
Bolivia: Santa Cruz's Recurring Road Blocks
Eduardo Bowles blogs [es] about the recurring road blocks in Santa Cruz, Bolivia: “At this rate, Santa Cruz will remain the country's economic engine, but perhaps driven by steam or as they say in the neighborhood: ‘a pedal locomotive.'”
