America in Decline: Can the United States Continue to Compete?
The West enters the twenty-first century at a crossroads. Having long been the model for economic and political success, the aftereffects of the 2008 Great Recession have resulted in a world in which developing countries with emerging markets now have greater economic dynamism than years past, while old economic powerhouses are struggling to secure their […]
Pollution, Prevention, Protection: Throwing Your Money Down the Right Drain
Thirty years ago, an unprecedented number of children in Woburn, a community just north of Boston, were diagnosed with leukemia. This unfortunate incident sparked an environmental revolution of sorts, highlighted in the film A Civil Action. Although decades have passed in the cleanup through efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the site has yet […]
Debt Ceiling Panic: Unnecessary Instability or Crucial Wake-up Call?
During last summer, the economy was teetering on the edge of collapse due in part to the question of whether or not the debt ceiling, a ninety-year-old government policy, would be raised before the United States hit its limit. The main theory propping up the continued use of the debt ceiling has been the belief […]
Misusing Power: National Security and Corruption
Corruption is a contested concept with its understanding connected to societal, cultural and governance norms and values. A shorthand definition of corruption, found in the Transparency International Plain Language Guide, defines it as: “The abuse of entrusted power for private gain.”[i] According to the World Bank, for policy purposes corruption can be best understood as: […]
The Euro: Not Short on Friends, Yet Homeless
An old dog may not be taught new tricks, but the ailing European Union (EU) can be further economically and politically domesticated by enacting necessary reforms to address its sovereign debt crisis. Though many European governments and banks managed to emerge relatively unscathed after the 2008 financial crisis, largely by avoiding American credit markets,[i] the […]
A Path to a Unified Korea: Redefining the Korean Reunification in the 21st Century
The Present and Prospective East Asian Geopolitical Structure Korean economists often say “every time China or the US sneezes, it’s Korea that catches the cold.” This saying applies to both political and economic realities facing South Korea. Caught between the two superpowers, South Korea’s political and economic decisions are inevitably dependent on the policies of […]
Governmental Population Policy in China: The Consequences
Widely known throughout the world as one of the 20th century’s most impactful examples of family planning policy, China’s One-Child Policy (OCP) has caused serious social and ethical problems that have resulted in enormous changes in family dynamics, gender roles and demographics with Chinese society. Referred to as “the most massive human rights violation on […]
Massachusetts Fishery Management Plans: A Public Field Hearing
This article is written in reaction to the author’s attendance of the October 3rd, 2011 public field hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to review Massachusetts Fishery Management Plans. It can be easy to forget in our modern metropolitan world, the long history of the New England fisherman. The ground-fish industry […]
Generational “Crunch”: The Plight of the Millennial Generation
Have you applied to so many job postings your head is spinning? So have 4 million other youth and recent graduates across the nation looking for work.[i] With the worst job market in 70 years, jobless numbers for youth have taken an unsettling dive, and thanks to what some misanthropes dub the “Terrible Recovery”, those […]
The Next Great American Social Movement
Barely one month after a few protesters began camping out on Wall Street, the Occupy movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. It is undeniable that the sentiments of the movement have struck a deep chord within this country, which is now experiencing one of the largest and most widespread mobilizations of social and political […]