The Next Energy Superpower?
A revolution in supply, driven by technological change and beginning in the United States, is transforming the energy sector. A commodity whose scarcity defined geopolitics and economics from the beginning of the industrial age is now becoming a potentially abundant resource. This will not only reshape the global energy map and global politics, but also … Read more
The Rising Global Thermostat: What business can do to lower the temperature
The private sector has long been a key partner for the United Nations on advancing sustainable development initiatives throughout the world. Today, climate change presents one of the most urgent global challenges to sustainable development, and it will demand the support and engagement of the private sector to confront it effectively. Investing in green energy … Read more
Arts Innovator: The Laundromat Project, The United States
A mother and child load the week’s dirty clothes into a washing machine. Nearby, a young man stuffs his dry clothes into a hamper. An old woman methodically folds children’s socks and T-shirts. It’s a typical scene at laundromats around New York City—except for one difference: while waiting for their clothes to spin dry, a … Read more
Civic Innovator: Antonio Sosa-Pascual, Puerto Rico
Puerto Ricans often feel that they are part of an invisible nation. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, there are now 4.7 million Puerto Ricans living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia—more than on their ancestral Caribbean archipelago of 3.7 million. But because Puerto Ricans living abroad are … Read more
Politics Innovator: Ruben Kihuen, The United States
Ruben Kihuen, 33, is used to winning. As a rising Mexican-American politician in Nevada—where Latinos have played a major role in deciding the last two U.S. presidential elections—Kihuen has attracted attention far outside his home state. And with good reason: both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama courted him during their 2008 presidential campaigns, and Kihuen’s … Read more
Business Innovator: Felipe Arango, Colombia
The Chocó region in western Colombia is one of the most mineral-rich places in the hemisphere. It is also ecologically rich, boasting species of flora thought to be unique to Chocó. But due to years of commercial gold and platinum mining that have leached mercury and cyanide into local rivers, the Chocó region has also become … Read more
Despite FIFA’s problems, billions around the world continue to be enthralled by the beautiful game.
FIFA’s $260 million headquarters complex in Zurich, Switzerland, with its huge glass façade and attractive parks, conveys a sense of modernity, openness and transparency—all qualities the organization lacks. Accusations of illegal or unsavory activities by the organization’s leadership have dominated the headlines, supplying critics with plenty of material. FIFA’s Honorary President, legendary football figure João … Read more
The series of scandals have not only tainted FIFA, but undermined trust in the game as well.
FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, is corrupt. The degree of corruption may be debatable, but its existence at the highest levels is not. Over the past three years, at least a dozen of the organization’s 24 Executive Committee (ExCo) members have been accused of serious improprieties stemming from bribes, illegal ticket sales and other scandals. … Read more
Dispatches: Pimpineros
José, a tough-looking, dark-skinned man in his 40s, met me at a small restaurant in a crowded neighborhood in Cúcuta, capital of Colombia’s Norte de Santander department, and a traditionally “hot” place for contraband and mafia violence. A leader of Sintragasolina, the gas workers’ union, José agreed to see me only if we met in … Read more
[i]The End of Power: From Boardrooms to Battlefields and Churches to States, Why Being in Charge Isn’t What It Used to Be[/i] By Moisés Naím
Power is fundamentally changing in the twenty-first century. While there is movement from “brawn to brains, from north to south and west to east, from old corporate behemoths to agile start-ups, from entrenched dictators to people in town squares and cyberspace,” there is more to the story than just a power shift. So writes Moisés … Read more
[i]Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead[/i] by Shannon O’Neil
Click here to view a video interview with Shannon O’Neil. No relationship in the Western Hemisphere is more critical for the United States than its relationship with Mexico. U.S. security is closely tied to Mexico’s ability (and willingness) to strengthen its legal and judicial system, and to Mexico’s economic potential. And conversely, an improving American … Read more
Regionalism: The Pacific Alliance
Latin America is no stranger to new political and economic blocs. In the past decade, the region has experienced a deluge of presidential summits and ministerial meetings that have led to the establishment of a number of new groupings. Among these, the Alianza del Pacífico (Pacific Alliance), which is celebrating its two-year anniversary, has the … Read more
Borders: Central America and International Law
Click here to view a slideshow of Camp Harbor Head. In Nicaragua, conservationists are denouncing Costa Rica for environmental damage they claim has been caused by a newly constructed national defense border highway. Meanwhile, Costa Rica protests what it calls the “invasion and occupation” of its territory by members of Nicaragua’s Sandinista Youth movement. At … Read more
Judiciary: The Courts in Mexico
The steady process of change in judicial organizations in Mexico, which began in the mid-1990s, was given a major boost in the past few years with four constitutional amendments. The most significant is a 2008 amendment requiring that all state and federal judicial systems transition from a written-based inquisitorial system to an oral-based accusatorial one … Read more
Business Innovator: Instiglio, United States
Public spending on social programs often involves high levels of government expenditure with little emphasis on impact and outcomes. Enter Instiglio, a Boston-based nonprofit social enterprise that hopes to bring the social impact bond (SIB) model—also known as a pay-for-success contract—to emerging economies such as India and Colombia. The concept turns the old development model … Read more
