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Trade Balance of Developing and Developed Countries Continues to Converge, UNCTAD Statistics Show

UNCTAD Handbook of Statistics 2014 shows that developing and transition economies run large trade surpluses for merchandise and services trade. Geneva, 9 December 2014 – Developing economies ran a combined merchandise and services trade surplus for 2013 of $177.6 billion,

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Overall Tax Cost and Compliance Burden Lower for Businesses around the World

Paying taxes has become easier over the past year for medium-sized companies around the world, the latest report from the World Bank Group and PwC finds. The time it takes an average company to meet its tax obligations dropped by

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Hernando de Soto: Unlocking the Riches of the Poor

Most of the world’s poor may be slightly less destitute than it appears. However, officialdom often unwittingly conspires to keep the modest wealth of the poor – a shack, a building plot, a sewing machine, or marketable skills – locked

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Sustainable Stock Exchanges: Urgent Need for Simple Metrics

The 4th biennial Global Dialogue on the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, concluded yesterday (10/14) at the United Nations Geneva headquarters, unveiled the urgent need for all stakeholders – stock exchanges, regulators, investors, and businesses – to adopt simple, yet

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World Bank Group: Can Resource-Financed Infrastructure Fix the Natural Resource Curse?

By Håvard Halland, John Beardsworth, Bryan Land, and James Schmidt How can resource-rich countries ensure that a sufficiently large share of oil, gas, and mining revenues are used for productive investment rather than excessive or wasteful consumption? “Resource-financed infrastructure” (RFI)

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Europe’s Original Sin and the Dangers of Doing Good

Carlos Rangel, the Venezuelan diplomat and essayist, once pointedly remarked that western nations often send their failed politicians – the dreamers, utopians, and other ineffectual romantics – to far-off places where they can do no harm other than to their

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New UN Report Calls for Major Changes in Global Economic Governance, Management

Six years after the start of the global economic and financial crisis, the world economy has still not found a sustainable growth path, argues a new United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report released on September 10, 2014. 

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Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group: Liquidity Glut, Infrastructure Finance Drought and Development Banks

The world economy faces huge infrastructure financing needs that are not being matched on the supply side. Emerging market economies, in particular, have had to deal with international long-term private debt financing options that are less supportive of infrastructure finance.

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How Much Does Pollution Cost?

As it becomes increasingly necessary to reduce emissions, organizations and governments are looking for ways to compensate for the harmful effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. How much do the emissions coming from your car’s exhaust pipe cost in

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From Haiti to Canada – Michaëlle Jean: A Viceroy from the Caribbean

The world over, Canada enjoys a reputation as a country most welcoming to immigrants. Newcomers are not just welcomed with open arms; they are also cordially invited to actively participate in the life of the nation. Canadians thoroughly enjoy welcoming

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