Perspectives
Marching Toward a Cure — Q&A With Ted Thompson of the Parkinson’s Action Network
There’s no cure yet for Parkinson’s, and even diagnosing the disease remains a challenge. Yet Ted Thompson remains confident that the best is yet to come for people who have the neurological disorder, thanks to relentless efforts to find innovative ways to treat, diagnose — and eventually cure — the disease.
Sung Chang: Cleannovation — From Free Trade to Clean Trade
U.S. trade policy can be leveraged to help clean up the world — whether it’s protecting the environment, combating corruption or keeping the Internet open.
Thomas F. McLarty: Voting ‘Yes’ on Trade Is Hard for Democrats — But Necessary
Trade policy signals a country’s ability to engage with the world and to lead.
A debate over free trade is looming in Washington and will have a major impact on our country’s economic growth strategy moving forward. The issue has already drawn attention because it’s an area where the Republican majority in the Senate may actually help President Obama, whose trade policies have more vocal support among Republicans than Democrats.
John Kingston: Bridge a Tough Sell? Time to Get Creative on Infrastructure Spending
It’s getting harder to finance the world’s infrastructure needs — perhaps nowhere more than in Washington. States, sometimes partnering with the private sector, are getting creative in building and maintaining roads, bridges and ports.
Anabel Gonzalez: Setting the Stage for African Success in Global Value Chains
African economies can seize the opportunity to play a bigger role on the global stage, but success hinges on an improving climate for trade and doing business.
As world trade and investment have increasingly become organized around “value chains” — production lines that cross borders — Africa has struggled to reap the benefits of this trend, even as Asian and Latin American countries churned out cars, microchips and textiles for consumers across the globe.
Perspectives
Finding a Path Forward on U.S. Infrastructure — Q&A With Robert Puentes of Brookings
Given polarization in Washington, it’s hard to get agreement on whether infrastructure is even in crisis — let alone how to fund it. Robert Puentes sheds some light on what’s needed to maintain the roads and support the country’s future growth.
Eleanor Dehoney: The Medical Device Tax Debate — Will Logic Prevail?
Efforts in Congress to repeal the medical device tax have been caught up in debates over health reform and jobs, obscuring a fundamental question: Should a nation committed to medical progress impose an excise tax on it?
“There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience. And then there is California.” — Edward Abbey, American author
Bill Reinsch: Danse Macabre on Trade
With debate about trade heating up in Congress, the inevitable list of rumors and speculation about the potential negative fallout has begun. These rumors are overblown.
If You Build It, Will They Come?
Chile’s innovation experiment shows the challenges of trying to recreate Silicon Valley locally.
Four years ago, Chile launched an innovation experiment: If they convinced entrepreneurs to set up shop in Chile, would a successful innovation ecosystem follow? They’re not alone. As investors look beyond Silicon Valley, governments around the world are asking themselves the same question.
