Business

Animal Spirits

In a chapter of their new book, recommended by FP Big Thinker Paul Collier, George A. Akerlof and Robert Shiller explain why stories -- the human narratives we use to make sense of a complicated world -- are vital to understanding economics.

BY GEORGE A. AKERLOF, ROBERT J. SHILLER | DECEMBER 3, 2009

E-Waste: There’s an App for That

The iPhone is coming to China -- and so is a lot of technological trash.

BY ADAM MINTER | SEPTEMBER 23, 2009

China's Ring of Power

While nobody was paying attention, Beijing was busy cornering the market on a little-known, but much coveted, strategic commodity.

BY JOHN LEE | SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

Think Again: A Marshall Plan for Africa

America brought Europe back to life a half-century ago. Why not give Africa the same chance?

BY GLENN HUBBARD | AUGUST 13, 2009

The List: Faulty Towers

With financing slowing to a trickle, the world's most hyped architectural projects remain castles in the sky.

BY JOSHUA KEATING | APRIL 15, 2009

Think Again: The Green Economy

Going green has finally gone mainstream, and politicians from London to Seoul are spending billions on clean technologies they say will create jobs. But unless we are all willing to risk a little more pain, the green revolution could founder before it ever really starts.

BY MATTHEW E. KAHN | APRIL 15, 2009

The List: Globalized Motors

As sagging demand in the United States and Western Europe has pushed General Motors into bankruptcy, the auto behemoth has actually been expanding in emerging markets and building new factories.

BY JOSHUA KEATING | APRIL 1, 2009

Answering the Call

How Colombian land-mine victims became call-center operators.

BY ELIZABETH DICKINSON | FEBRUARY 10, 2009

Fashion Forward

OCTOBER 15, 2008

The Coming Euroinvasion

First they came for the iPods. Then the Europeans snatched up condos in Manhattan. Now they're coming for the companies.

BY MOISÉS NAÍM | APRIL 10, 2008

The Architecture of Autocracy

The skylines of unfree societies used to bring to mind images of endless gray Soviet apartment blocks. But today, some of the world's most innovative and daring designs are breaking ground in the least free nations. Why are the world's best architects taking their most ambitious plans to modern-day autocrats? Two words: Blank slates.

BY RICHARD LACAYO | APRIL 10, 2008

The Billionaire Next Door

Forget Branson and Buffett. Like Carlos Slim, many of the world's wealthiest people operate in the shadows of the global economy. Meet the tycoons you don't know but should.

OCTOBER 11, 2007

How Slim Got Huge

Bill Gates is no longer the world's richest man. That honor now goes to Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. But Slim's incredible fortune -- $59 billion and climbing -- is more than a story of one man's rise to riches. He is one of a growing list of tycoons from countries like China, India, and Russia who represent a new wave of wealth, power, and influence. Many are skilled businesspeople. But, in these fast-developing economies, being able to seize a political opportunity may count for a lot more.

BY BRIAN WINTER | OCTOBER 11, 2007

How Capitalism Is Killing Democracy

Free markets were supposed to lead to free societies. Instead, today's supercharged global economy is eroding the power of the people in democracies around the globe. Welcome to a world where the bottom line trumps the common good and government takes a back seat to big business.

BY ROBERT B. REICH | AUGUST 15, 2007

Think Again: Europe

It likes to pretend it is a kinder, gentler alternative to the United States. But stagnant economies, suffering immigrants, and elitist rhetoric don't make a global powerhouse. With nothing less than the future of the European project at stake, the countries of Europe must now either unite behind much-needed reforms, or watch their differences tear them apart.

BY CLIVE CROOK | JUNE 11, 2007

Epiphanies: Chris Patten

JUNE 11, 2007

Latin America's Sour Apple

BY IAN MOUNT | APRIL 18, 2007

The World for Sale

The private sector is the best weapon against mass poverty.

BY C.K. PRAHALAD | APRIL 18, 2007

Privileged Performance

FEBRUARY 13, 2007

Industrial Revolution 2.0

In the corner offices of New York and Tokyo, business leaders cling to the notion that their designs, technologies, and brands are cutting edge. Increasingly, however, that just isn't so. In industries ranging from steel and cement to automobiles and electronics, "Third World companies" are poised to overtake their Western rivals. Get ready for the biggest firms you've never heard of to become household names.

BY ANTOINE VAN AGTMAEL | DECEMBER 27, 2006

The Scorpion Woman of Brazil

BY RAUL JUSTE LORES | DECEMBER 27, 2006

Time Is Money

OCTOBER 10, 2006

Megaplayers Vs. Micropowers

Rising instability is good news for the little guy -- and bad for everyone else.

BY MOISÉS NAÍM | JUNE 7, 2006

In Google We Trust

BY CAROLYN O'HARA | FEBRUARY 17, 2006

Think Again: Airlines

Bankruptcies, terrorism, and high oil prices have rocked the airline industry. Customers complain about bad service and long lines. Are airlines doomed? Not a chance. The global economy cannot function without air travel. But the industry that emerges from the coming shakeout will need a whole new set of wings.

BY GIOVANNI BISIGNANI | JANUARY 4, 2006

It's the Illicit Economy, Stupid

How Big Business taught criminals to go global.

BY MOISÉS NAÍM | NOVEMBER 9, 2005

The FP Memo: Attention, Wal-Mart Executives

America's leading company must expand its operations abroad, help smooth relations with China, and convince skeptics that free trade creates jobs.

BY ROBERT E. LITAN | NOVEMBER 9, 2005

The Center of the World

The NBA understands the power of an icon. When Michael Jordan retired from basketball, the league's ratings began to fall. To bounce back, the NBA expanded overseas and lured foreign talent to the game. And there is no one who is as big an ambassador as Yao Ming. The NBA sees its salvation in the 7-foot, 6-inch Chinese sensation -- and in 1.3 billion hoops fans.

BY BROOK LARMER | AUGUST 30, 2005

In Green Company

If Kyoto is so dangerous, why is corporate America already playing by its rules?

BY STUART EIZENSTAT, RUBÉN KRAIEM | AUGUST 30, 2005

How the Game Travels

BY BROOK LARMER | AUGUST 30, 2005