Showing results by publisher "Foreign Affairs" in Economics

Most economists agree that the global economy is stagnating and that governments need to stimulate growth, but lowering interest rates still further could spur a damaging cycle of booms and busts. Instead, central banks should hand consumers cash directly.

Conventional wisdom says the state can best foster innovation by just getting out of the way. In fact, government has historically served not as a meddler in the private sector, but as a key booster of it - and often a daring one, willing to take risks that businesses won’t.

To create broad-based and sustainable economic growth, governments in the developing world should foster market-creating innovation - that is, the generation of new products and services that reach an entirely new population of customers.

Niklas Zennstrom, founder of Skype, talks to Foreign Affairs about the sharing economy, why start-ups are thriving in Europe, and how technology can address climate change.

Venture capitalist Michael Moritz talks to Foreign Affairs about predicting success, investing globally, and why Google’s original business model was a failure.

Since the early 1990s, a handful of oligarchs has dominated Greece’s economy and politics. So long as these elites have a vested interest in keeping things as they are, the country will never fully find its way out of crisis.

Mo Ibrahim, founder of Celtel, talks to Foreign Affairs about succeeding in the mobile sector, innovating in the developing world, and the future of governance in Africa.

Multibillion-dollar valuations in Silicon Valley have obscured underlying problems in the way the United States develops technology. Government policies increasingly favor powerful interest groups over promising start-ups, stifling technological innovation.

To strengthen its economic power and extend its strategic influence during uncertain times, Washington must lead on global trade. If it doesn't, it will be left on the sidelines.

Over the past 30 years, the rate of start-up formation in the United States has slowed down. To reclaim its status as a hub of innovation, the United States must tackle reforms in many areas, from immigration and business regulation to health care and education.