Tag Archive for governance

Bulgaria’s never-ending election marathon

Update: On 6 June, after two months of negotiations, Bulgarian parliament approved a coalition government led by the prime minister Nikolai Denkov. The government was supported by the two largest parliamentary factions, the anti-communist and socially conservative GERB and the alliance of the right-of-centre We Continue the Change party (WCC) and the liberal Democratic Bulgaria (DB). Under the coalition agreement, Denkov, from the WCC-DB, will…

Whither Ukraine?

After Yatsenyuk’s resignation his likely successor as prime minister holds few promises regarding the government’s reformist agenda.

Inquiring the World’s Future

Any decision-maker in government or business who is concerned about the planet’s sustainable future and is looking for serious guidance, might consider studying the “2011 State of the Future” report. Published by The Millennium Project, an international participatory think tank established in 1996, this year’s report is the fifteenth of its kind, and it is…

A Downgrade of Confidence

Political risks know no vacation. August 2011 will be remembered as a month of misery, not simply because of the politically induced crash on the stock markets during the first two weeks, but also because of the spreading sensation of angst that the industrialized world might be facing a new economic recession. Put in a…

Breaking the Cycles of Violence

Organized violence, be it politically or criminally motivated, poses the most prominent risk to the socio-economic development of a country. Some 1.5 billion people worldwide are affected by violence, a disturbing number, revealed by the World Bank in “The World Development Report 2011: Conflict, Security, and Development”. The Report contains a major shift in focus…

Corruption Risks and International Climate Investments

The several hundred billion Dollars to be invested in measures to fight climate change over the  coming years, not only encourage the good who seek to halt dangerous global warming, but they also attract the crooks who look for new booty. Transparency International (TI), the renowned international civil anti-corruption organization, recently published a comprehensive report…

WEF’s Global Risks 2011: New Risk Clusters in Focus

In the lead-up to its annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum (WEF) issued the report Global Risks 2011. The report is set in the context of the WEF’s new platform, the Risk Response Network. The organization’s proclaimed objective to translate analysis into the development of practical solutions for the planet’s future, gives…

The Corrosion of Democracy

What has happened to the idea and practice of democracy? What many vigilant observers of countries and political systems might have concluded from their daily analysis of political events and processes, has now been confirmed as a global pattern. Democratization has not only come to a halt but has been in decline across the world…

Business and Investment Regulations Worldwide

In order to promote the economic and social development of countries, improving their business environment for private entrepreneurs is key. The World Bank’s eight annual Doing Business report, which tracks relevant regulations in 183 economies, has become influential since governments are increasingly concerned about their rank and reputation in the global commercial arena. Given this…

Systemic Risks – A New Paradigm for Global Risk Research

This article explores the developing concept of global risks and highlights how the study and management of systemic risk has become a major challenge to multinational business. Lloyd’s 360 Risk Insight research platform serves as an example. Special reference is given to the recent report Globalisation and Risks for Business – Implications of an increasingly…