Rod Dowler, GPI Opinion, 16 May 2012 

After four years of little or no growth, with the prospect of continuing austerity, there are now many calls for a UK industrial policy, and a concomitant industrial strategy. This is a radical and welcome break from some thirty years of thinking that markets do the best job of allocating resources and rewards. The problem is that, without a unifying vision, an industrial policy constructed from ad hoc initiatives won’t bring long-term, sustainable benefits. READ MORE

Upcoming Event: There May be Trouble Ahead - The Coalition's European Policy

23rd May 2012, EUROPE HOUSE, 32 SMITH SQUARE, LONDON SW1P 3EU

2.00 - 5.45 pm followed by a drinks reception

Over the past six months the Global Policy Institute has been running together with the Federal Trust a series of conferences on the British Coalition Government's European policy. This series of conferences has been co-funded by the European Commission in London.

The conference series is entitled 'The Coalition's European Policy after the honeymoon'.  The objective of these conferences has been to review the European policy of the Coalition in its second year, examining in particular the growing internal and external strains upon the compromises which have until now underpinned its actions within the European Union.

This final conference, There May be Trouble Ahead: the Coalition's European Policy, will be the opportunity for us to launch a pamphlet summarising the discussions of the preceding conferences and offering some predictions for the future. 

Our speakers are as follows:

Christine Dalby, Deputy Head of Representation, European Comission in the United Kingdom
Peter Sutherland KCMG, former European Commissioner and Director General of the WTO
Brendan Donnelly, Director of the Federal Trust and Senior Research Fellow, Global Policy Institute

To RSVP for this conference, please email: alison.sutherland(at)fedtrust.co.uk.

Tragedy of Riches - New Book by Stephen Barber

Western economic prosperity has created a rich, complacent society that has, in pursuit of short-term interests, lost sight of its original goals. If vital lessons have not been learned, there is a real danger, thanks to entrenched political and economic dogmatism, that the system that generated the crisis will not be reformed. This book makes a passionate case that instead of accepting a status quo of dysfunctional modern economics we must now create a new, political settlement prepared to tackle the great issues of our age before it is too late.

That the world economy is still only shakily recovering from the credit crunch serves only to underline our misplaced faith in a system ill-equipped to deal with our real needs in the twenty-first century. Paradoxically, our riches are now the cause of our greatest problems.

To purchase this book, please click HERE.

Reforming the City - Free PDF

Given its topical relevance the Global Policy Institute has decided to make the full text pdf of our 2009 publication 'Reforming the City' available for download.

The book brings together international experts and academics, financial decision-makers and bankers, policy-makers and politicians to give their answers and solutions to a number of important questions and problems such as:

   - What were the causes of the first global bank run?

   - What reform measures are required and how effective will they be?

   - Can the City of London reform and reinvent itself?

   - What are the social functions of banking?

   - Are banks subject to market forces or do they create their own market conditions?

Contributors: John McFall, Stuart Fraser, John Kay, Xuecheng Jing, Saskia Sassen, Nick Kochan, Michael Mainelli, Chris Dixon, Thomas Harris, Stephen Haseler, Sam Whimster, Viara Bojkova, Mark Field, Mica Panic, Jocelyn Pixley, Jacques Reland, Helen Parry

Click HERE to get your free copy today.

GPI/Federal Trust Conference Series: The Coalition's European Policy after the Honeymoon

THE UK AND THE EUROPEAN AREA OF JUSTICE, FREEEDOM AND SECURITY

The fourth in a series of conferences held in conjunction with the Federal Trust and co-funded by the European Commission in London, examined the current state of Coalition policy regarding the European Area of Justice, Freedom and Security.

Our Commission speaker was Mr Jakub Boratynski, Head of Unit, Fight against organised crime, DG Home Affairs, European Commission.  He was joined by Professor Steve Peers of Essex University, a noted expert in the field.

Details of the event including videos of presentations will be available shortly.

The objective of these conferences is to review the European policy of the Coalition in its second year, examining in particular the growing internal and external strains upon the compromises which have until now underpinned its actions within the European Union. VISIT THE PROJECT WEBSITE HERE.

Nord Stream and the Reality of Russia's 'Gas Weapon'

Martin Paletar, London Metropolitan University, 11th January 2012

The 8^th of November 2011 marks a new beginning in energy relations between the EU and Russia. Bypassing traditional transit countries, such as Belarus and Ukraine, the Nord stream pipeline will permit natural gas to be directly delivered from Russia to Germany.

Chinese and Indian Views of Europe:
New Perspectives from the Emerging Asian Giants 

Author: Karine Lisbonne-de Vergeron

The global financial crisis is now widely recognized as representing the biggest shift of power from West to East for half a millennium. The primary focus is the new Asian giants, China and India. A new study commissioned jointly by the Robert Schuman Foundation (France), the Konrad Adendauer Stiftung (Germany) and the Global Policy Institute (United Kingdom) through a series of interviews with leading officials, academics and commentators is seeking to explore how Chinese and Indian perceptions of Europe have been transformed since 2008.

Download the report for free HERE.

The Contradictions of the Asian Monetary Fund

In the latest GPI Policy Paper, Chris Dixon focuses on the issue of an Asian Monetary Fund (AMF).

At the time of its launch in March 2010, the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM)  was widely reported, particularly in Asia, as heralding the establishment of an AMF that would provide both an independent alternative to the IMF and distance from the influence of the USA. However, while the CMIM may well be a major step towards the establishment of such an AMF, as presently constituted it is neither separate from the IMF nor fully functional.

Download the paper for free HERE  

Will to Power? The Transformation of India's Identity since the Cold War

Author: James Hannah

Since the end of the Cold War, India has been transformed by a reorientation of economic policy that has produced headline-grabbing annual GDP growth rates. Alongside this process the political landscape has become more splintered with the emergence of coalition politics and a Hindu nationalist alternative to the established power of the Congress Party.

Behind the boom, however, new inequalities and tensions have emerged that present crucial challenges for India's continued rise. Internationally, India has sought a wider role but to what end and how has this goal been pursued? Crucially, is India really an emerging superpower?

Download the paper for free HERE

The Open Method of Coordination. A Governance Mechanism for the G20?

Author: Chris Luenen, Henning Meyer, Stephen Barber

As the world's political leaders prepare for the Cannes G20 meeting at the end of this week, bold solutions to global economic problems are once again on the agenda. Global economic circumstances require concerted actions and policy solutions from the world's most important economies. But is the G20 in its current form able to deliver, even when there is agreement amongst political leaders? The evidence so far suggests there is an important dilemma: Global policy issues require the G20 but the institution lacks the implementation capabilities to really address the policy issues. Against this backdrop, the Brussels Office of the Bertelsmann Stiftung has published a study prepared by Chris Luenen (Global Policy Institute), Henning Meyer (London School of Economics) and Stephen Barber (London South Bank University). The study seeks to use the European Union's experience with the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) to develop a new governance mechanism that would help to turn the G20 into a more effective global governance institution by improving its implementation capabilities.

What Will a United States of Europe Look Like?

Steven Hill, 14 May 2012

The Greek and Spanish crisis are forcing a major European re-think. One way out of the crisis is more European integration - with or without Greece. In this article, an American commentator, Steven Hill, shows how federalism works in the United States, and could work in Europe too.

Read the full article HERE.

Federalism and Inequality in India

James Hannah, Global Policy Journal, 16 March 2012

The empowerment of India’s sub-national political actors rolls on with the news that the Samajwadi Party are set to triumph in the elections of Uttar Pradesh, a huge state in North-East India with a population of over 200 million people.

Fostering Development of SMEs

Michele Geraci, China Daily, 1st March 

The World Bank report, "China 2030: Building a Modern, Hamonious and Creative High-Income Society", which was released this week, stated that liberalizing interest rates according to market principles is a priority for China's financial reforms over the next two decades, highlighting the dilemma facing the government.

Debating Hester's Bonus and Fred's Knighthood is Futile: Focus on Volcker's Rule and Breakup the Banks

Carlo Resta, EconoMonitor, 14th February 

Forcing RBS’s Stephen Hester to forgo some bonus and stripping Fred Goodwin of his knighthood, are only illusionist’s games; demagogic attempts in election times. The only real facts are the trillions of dollars of public money already spent to save the banks and the continuing government guarantee to monolithic banks and other disproportionate entities now bigger than before.

Comments on the ICB Final Report

Michael Lloyd, GPI Opinion, January 2012

The concern is to provide an overview analysis of the main provisions of the ICB Final Report and an assessment of their business and economic impact; following on its earlier submissions to the Commission.