A weekly sampling of news, analysis and
opinion on economic issues of
India, China and the U.S.
Articles and
opinion pieces are from a variety of sources and
viewpoints and do not necessarily reflect
those of
ICA Institute. Access to some articles may
require
free registration to the site or may not be
cited to the
original
source. Access archive.
UGA IPSO India Initiative: India Conference |
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IPSO India Initiative Launch: India
Conference
Interconnected Future: India and
Georgia
Georgia Center for Continuing Education
Save the Date: April 2 & 3, 2009
This two-day event includes the India
Conference that will be held at the Georgia
Center for Continuing Education in Athens. A
special lecture sponsored by the College of
Public Health on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 6
pm will kick off the conference at the Paul
D. Coverdell Center. On Friday, April 3, 2009
the conference will run from 9:30 am to 3:30
pm, including a keynote and luncheon speaker,
followed by a cultural performance and a
reception. The conference will cover four
areas: political, economic, educational, and
cultural aspects of India and how they relate
to Georgia. Specific objectives of the
conference include: a focus on foreign
investment in Georgia from Indian firms and
Indo-American business relations for economic
development as well as educational
partnerships for UGA and Indian institutions
of higher education.
Click
here for more conference information
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Free Access to Journal of Knowledge-based Innovation in China |
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Emerald Group Publishing Ltd is pleased to
offer ICA Institute readers free access to
its journal Journal of Knowledge-based
Innovation in China
during March.
China is undergoing a fast transformation
from the world's manufacturer to a leading
player in the field of knowledge-based
innovation. Published in association with the
China Association for Management of
Technology (CAMOT), the Journal of
Knowledge-based Innovation in China (JKIC)
responds to the lack of scholarly
publications with a Chinese perspective on
this field of study. JKIC publishes research
that addresses emerging or developed
innovative practices in modern China, and how
innovation is feeding into the country's
rapidly growing knowledge economy. This
includes critical analyses which are informed
by an appreciation of the complexity of the
National Innovation System (NIS) and of
regional and sectoral diversity.
To access the journal visit http://www.emeraldinsight.com/jkic.htm
, see the table of contents and - when
prompted - enter the following:
Username: ICAinstitute
Password: emerald
For more information on the journal, please
contact the Publisher, Victoria Buttigieg, at
vbuttigieg@emeraldinsight.com
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China Goes Global Call for Papers |
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Call for Papers
3rd China Goes Global Conference
September 30 - October 2, 2009
Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
www.chinagoesglobal.org
Overview
This century has been dubbed the Chinese
Century. But will the naming of this Century be
congruent with the country's performance in
the global political economy? As part of a
series of
conferences on the topic China Goes Global,
held at Harvard Kennedy School and Rollins
College, we issue a new call for papers on
the globalization of China and Chinese companies,
focusing on the following broad questions:
1. What are the social, political and
economic influences of China's globalization?
2. How will China's globalization effect the
business environment of firms in developed and
emerging countries?
3. Will China really replace the US economic,
political and business leadership in the 21st
Century?
4. What are the factors associated with
China's emerging global economic prowess?
5. Can Western political/economic models and
theories help explain China's current trajectory,
either on a macro or a micro level?
Important Dates
Deadline for Submission: May 15, 2009
Paper acceptance/rejection: July 1, 2009
Revised paper submission: August 15, 2009
Registration Fee
Please note that all presenters and
participants must register to attend the
conference. The early
bird registration fee of USD 495 is due on
July 5, 2009, and the regular registration
fee of USD 595 is
due on August 15, 2009. The registration fee
includes refreshments, lunches, reception,
conference dinner, and a copy of the book
China Rules: Globalization and Political
Transformation (Palgrave McMillan, 2009).
Conference registration does not
include accommodation or travel costs.
Organizational Committee
Dr. Ilan Alon, Petters Professor, Director
Rollins China Center, Crummer Graduate School of
Business, Rollins College, Asia Programs
Visiting Scholar, Harvard University
Dr. Julian Chang, Executive Director, Asia
Programs, Ash Institute, Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University
Dr. Marc Fetscherin, Assistant Professor,
Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins
College,
Asia Programs Visiting Scholar, Harvard
University
Dr. Christoph Lattemann, Assistant Professor
of Corporate Governance & E-Commerce, University
of Potsdam, Asia Programs Visiting Scholar,
Harvard University
Dr. John R. McIntyre, Professor, Director of
Georgia Tech CIBER, Georgia Institute of
Technology
For more information, visit the conference
website
http://www.chinagoesglobal.org/
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Headlines |
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Chinese leaders confront economic crisis
(CNN, Mar 3) When China's legislature
opens its annual session this week, the focus
will be on jobs, the economy and social
stability. This year, the number one issue
will be how to survive the global economic
crisis and keep China's economy growing. As
the global economic crisis cascades into
China, Communist Party leaders fear a spike
in unemployment could trigger social unrest
and snowball into a political crisis. "The
NPC meeting this year will be all about the
economy," says Drew Thompson, a China analyst
at the Nixon Center in Washington. "Surviving
the global financial crisis will depend on
the effectiveness of the stimulus effort, and
most importantly, keeping employment numbers
up."
India's Economy Expands 5.3%; Slowest Pace
Since 2003 (Bloomberg, Feb 27)
India's economy grew at the slowest pace
since 2003 last quarter, adding pressure on
the central bank to slash interest rates and
support investment and consumption. Stocks
extended declines and bond yields fell.
Asia's third-largest economy expanded 5.3
percent in the three months to Dec. 31 from a
year earlier after a 7.6 percent gain in the
previous quarter, the statistics agency said
in New Delhi. That was less than the 6.1
percent expected by economists.
Asian Stocks Rise as China's Wen Affirms
Economic Growth Target (Bloomberg.com,
Mar 5) Asian stocks gained for a second
day, led by commodity and construction
companies, after China's Premier Wen Jiabao
said the country's economic growth target for
this year is within reach.
BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's biggest mining
company, climbed 4.4 percent in Sydney and
Komatsu Ltd., the world's No. 2 maker of
earthmoving equipment, jumped 3.8 percent in
Tokyo on speculation demand for metals and
industrial machinery will rise. Mazda Motor
Corp., Japan's No. 4 carmaker, surged 11
percent as the yen weakened. Hong Kong's Hang
Seng Index and U.S. futures erased gains
after Wen refrained from announcing an
expansion of a 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion)
spending package.
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Energy |
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Obama's Blueprint for a Daring Green
Machine (Barron's, Mar 2) President
Barack Obama's $787.2 billion stimulus plan
includes the largest government investment in
green energy since the expansion of the
wind-driven Royal Navy in the 18th century.
But the administration and Congress will have
to forcibly change consumer habits, and spend
billions of dollars more, if relatively
expensive green energy is to become a viable
alternative to less-expensive power sources
such as coal and oil. They are about to try.
The Environmental Protection Agency is
drafting rules that will make it unprofitable
for utilities to build new coal- and
crude-fired plants, and for car makers to
manufacture gas-swilling models like
sport-utility vehicles and luxury sedans.
Separately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
of Nevada has pledged to move a big energy
bill in the spring with a cap-and-trade
regime for greenhouse gases that, beginning
in 2012, would raise an estimated $75 billion
to $200 billion in annual revenue to fund
Obama's green revolution.
Chinese, U.S. swap clean energy ideas at
forum (Mercury News, Mar 2) A Chinese
delegation from the U.S.-China Clean Energy
Forum visited Sunnyvale's Applied Materials
recently to foster an exchange of ideas about
solar energy and the nuts and bolts needed to
one day connect an efficient energy grid
based on renewable sources. The idea behind
the forum is for the two nations - each of
which is a major greenhouse gas emitter - to
move simultaneously toward more
energy-efficient and climate-friendly
technologies. "We do have some competition"
between the two countries, said Zhou Dadi,
vice chairman or the National Energy Advisory
Committee and director general emeritus of
the NDRC's Energy Research Institute. But he
emphasized cooperation.
Can a 'smart grid' turn us on to energy
efficiency? (CNN.com, Mar 2)
According to research sponsored by the U.S.
Government, improving the efficiency of the
national electricity grid by 5 percent would
be the equivalent of eliminating the fuel use
and carbon emissions of 53 million cars. For
years environmentalists have been talking up
the idea of a "smart grid" -- an electricity
distribution system that uses digital
technology to eliminate waste and improve
reliability -- as a way of achieving this.
Advocates of a "smart grid" also say that it
would open up new markets for large and small
scale alternative energy producers by
decentralizing generation.
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ICT |
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Nokia to strengthen vendor base: tap rural
India (Financial Chronicle, Mar 3)
Finnish mobile handset maker Nokia plans to
strengthen its supplier base in India in the
coming months. Toward this end, the company
is gearing up to launch Nokia Life Tools,
agriculture and education information
services for rural population soon. "For
Nokia, Indian operations are an alternative
to China in manufacturing. We intend to bring
in more vendors and strengthen the tier 2
supplier base in India to sustain the
momentum and achieve better cost
efficiencies," Josh Foulger, head of India
sourcing and president - Nokia SEZ,
Sriperumbudur, Nokia said. After successful
implementation in India, Nokia intends to
replicate the same in China and African
countries, key emerging markets with strong
rural population.
Asia to head growth in infocomm technology
sector (ChannelNewsAsia.com, Feb 24)
Asia is set to be the future driving force
for the Information Communication Technology
(ICT) sector. And some industry experts say
now is a prime time for players in emerging
markets to test global waters. Brands such
as Lenovo branching out of Asia are setting
the tone for a shift in the ICT sector. US
and European players used to dominate the
sector, but increasingly, firms in emerging
markets such as China and India are taking to
the global stage.
Developing countries drive explosion in
global mobile phone use (Guardian.co.uk,
Mar 2) More than half the world's
population now pay to use a mobile phone and
nearly a quarter use the internet, as
developing countries rapidly adopt new
communications technologies. By the end of
last year there were an estimated 4.1bn
mobile subscriptions, up from 1bn in 2002,
according to a report published today by the
International Telecommunications Union (ITU),
an agency of the UN. Sweden was the world's
most advanced country in the use of
information and communications technology,
followed by South Korea and Denmark. China
was ranked 73, while India came in at 118.
The so-called "digital divide" between rich
and poor countries remained unchanged between
2002 and 2007. "Despite significant
improvements in the developing world, the gap
between the ICT haves and have-notes
remains," the report found.
Thomson Reuters Legal to Spread Out
Operations in India (SDA India, Mar
2) In a recent announcement Thomson
Reuters said that it will significantly grow
its operations in India. As a part of the
company's strategy to meet demand from the
growing professional global workforce,
Thomson Reuters is to expand its existing
operations in India by building a brand new
'technology excellence hub' to support its
international Legal business. The new hub
will be based in Bangalore and will sit
alongside Thomson Reuters established
operations in India - in Chennai, Hyderabad,
Delhi and Mumbai - which already play a
critical role in Thomson Reuters global
financial services and news offering, says
Reuters.
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Agriculture |
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Worst Drought in Half Century Shrivels the
Wheat Belt of China (New York Times, Feb
24) Northern China is dry in the best of
times. But a long rainless stretch has
underscored the urgency of water problems in
a region that grows three-fifths of China's
crops and houses more than two-fifths of its
people - but gets only one-fifth as much rain
as the rest of the country. Northern China
is dry in the best of times. But a long
rainless stretch has underscored the urgency
of water problems in a region that grows
three-fifths of China's crops and houses more
than two-fifths of its people - but gets only
one-fifth as much rain as the rest of the
country.
ISSUE IN-DEPTH: FOOD SAFETY: Broken system
demands inspectors, standards (Atlanta
Journal Constitution, Mar 2) Americans
eat food imported from 150 foreign countries
and processed in 189,000 plants scattered
from China to Fiji. In 2007, the Food and
Drug Administration inspected 96 of those
plants. Here in the United States, FDA
inspectors visit every food processor about
once every 10 years, a record that makes its
recent inspection of the Peanut Corporation
of America plant in Blakely something of a
coup. The FDA had last been to Blakely in
2001; when it returned in January in response
to a crisis, it found salmonella on plant
surfaces, peanuts stored under water leaks,
dead roaches and unidentified "slimy,
black-brown residue." By that time,
authorities had already identified the Peanut
Corp. plant as the likely source of
salmonella-contaminated peanut butter that so
far has killed nine Americans and sickened
more than 660.
Poor agriculture does not augur well for
rural demand (Economic Times, Mar 3)
The third quarter of 2008-09 saw India's GDP
growth slip to 5.3%, confirming fears of
growing downside risks to the economy. It is
also evident now that emerging economies,
including India, have been hit quite hard by
the severe downturn in advanced economies. As
the prospects for the US, EU, Japan and other
Asian economies continue to deteriorate
beyond initial expectations this is bad news
for us as well. The surprise element in the
third quarter (October-December 2008) GDP
data was the 2.2% contraction in agricultural
GDP. This decline can partly be attributed to
the high base of last year, but it does
expose the vulnerability of Indian
agriculture to the vagaries of monsoons.
Uneven rainfall, in an overall normal monsoon
year, so severely dented the prospects for
rain-dependent crops like coarse cereals,
pulses and some cash crops that it led to an
overall contraction in agricultural GDP.
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Education | Workforce Development |
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Innovation, education key to India's
growth (ZDNet Asia, Mar 3) India has
barely touched the tip of the iceberg as a
knowledge economy, and must use "disruptive
technologies" to drive markets such as
healthcare and education, urged delegates at
a technology summit. "Innovation is not an
idea leading to discovery. It relates to the
ecological system in which it can blossom.
This is something that the Silicon Valley was
able to provide," Professor M. G. K. Menon, a
renowned physicist and policy maker in India,
said at the inaugural EmTech India 2009 held
this week in New Delhi. "Knowledge is in our
DNA, however, India needs to evolve the right
ecosystem that can help unleash the real
potential of the nation," Menon said.
Delegates at the two-day conference discussed
the impact of next-generation technologies on
businesses and society and also marked the
launch of the India edition of Technology
Review, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology's 109-year-old magazine.
America's loss is India and China's gain: US
study (Economic Times, Mar 2) Loss
of tens of thousands of skilled immigrants to
countries like India and China "is an
economic catastrophe that will hurt US
competitiveness for decades to come", says
Vivek Wadhwa, lead author of a new study done
at leading American universities. Wadhawa and
his team at Duke, Harvard and Berkeley
universities uncovered several trends in
their study on the plight of 1,203 skilled
immigrants who came to the US from India and
China to work or study and returned home. The
most common professional factor (86.8 percent
of Chinese and 79.0 percent of Indians)
motivating workers to return home was the
growing demand for their skills in their home
countries.
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Corporate Responsibility |
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Mukesh Ambani with 3 other Indians are among
world's wealthiest 'eco barons' (The
Economic Times, Mar 1) Billionaire Mukesh
Ambani along with three other Indians are
among the world's wealthiest 'eco barons' who
continue to make investments in green
technology and businesses. The 'Green Rich
List' compiled by The Sunday Times features
100 wealthiest people including four Indians
and one India-origin person. Apart from
Ambani who is ranked at the fifth position,
other Indians in the list are wind power
major Suzlon Energy's Tulsi Tanti (49th
rank), Jaypee Group founder Jaiprakash Gaur
(50) and former executive at engineering
entity Thermax Anu Aga (78). India-origin
venture capitalist Vinod Khosla is at the
52nd place. The list is topped by legendary
investor Warren Buffett with a "Wealth Green
investment" worth 27 billion pounds. He is
followed by software czar Bill Gates and
Sweden's Ingvar Kampard, at the second and
third positions, respectively.
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Intellectual Property |
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IP litigation on the rise in China (ALB
Legal News, February 27, 2009) With
multinational and domestic companies
responding to the tough market conditions by
means of budget cutting, law firms in China
have seen a significant reduction in demand
for patent filings and prosecutions. However,
IP litigation, enforcement and licensing work
are the areas in which law firms still expect
to see prospects of growth.
Slump takes its toll on patents (China
State Intellectual Property Office, February
23, 2009) International patent filings
under World Intellectual Property
Organization's (WIPO) Patent Cooperation
Treaty (PCT) grew 2.4 percent in 2008, to
nearly 164,000 applications. For the first
time, a Chinese company topped the list of
PCT applicants in 2008. Another Chinese
company, ZTE Corporation, also a
Shenzen-based telecommunications company,
featured in the top 100.
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Newsletter staff |
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International
Contributors Editorial Board
RJ Paulsick - Co-Editor
Roxanne Russell - Co-Editor
Geoff Hiscock - Australia
Priya Roy- China (Shanghai)
Harsha Harjani - Hong Kong
Dr. Nilay Yajnik - India
Farhad Mirzaei - Iran
Asha Hemrajani- Singapore
Melissa Steinmetz - UK
Dr. Daney Jackson - USA
Dr. Sudhanva Char - Academic Resources
Shree Pandya - Engaging Youth
Laurel Askue - Environment & Conservation
Christopher Chan - Intellectual Property
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The ICA
Institute
is a non-profit research institute working to
foster research and dissemination of
knowledge on the rise of China and India and
their impact on global markets, global
resources and geopolitics of the world. The
ICA Institute's mission is to generate new
perspectives on the role of market and
resource driven economic development. ICA
Institute fosters interaction and dialogue
between academic scholars, industry leaders
and policy makers on the impact of emerging
economies in general and China and India in
particular. Specifically, The ICA Institute is
positioned to be a catalyst between faculty
and students in International Business and
industry leaders and managers.
Learn more about the ICA institute
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