Economy

As Moscow and the WTO Member States have finally established terms on which Russia will accede to the organization, thoughts turn to the impact of this historic event and the potential for it to play a role in the modernization of the country’s economy. The process has been long, with Russia having to negotiate bilateral accession protocols with the more than fifty WTO member states. 

The fears of a rise in economic nationalism in China have been fueled by a number of recent moves, such as changes in the law on indigenous innovation or the enactment of a national security review (NSR) regulation for M&As by foreign enterprises. The objective of the current paper is twofold: First is to provide an update on the investment environment in China in order to determine whether or not these provisions reflect a move in the direction of more protectionism, and second is to suggest ways for European countries to level the playing field for their firms wishing to invest in China.

Europe’s energy policy is commonly defined by three axes of equal importance: security of supplies, competitiveness and sustainable development. The European Commission is mandated to develop the policy tools that allow the implementation of this common policy. Early on, challenges arose from the trade-offs to be made not only between these three pillars but also between a common European policy and national approaches. The European Commission has always had to struggle in attempting to keep a balanced line.

This roundtable dealt with the specificities of Turkey"s economy, which is completing major economic achievements in particularly difficult times. François Faure analyzed the risks of an economic backlash following the European crisis; Turkey appears indeed in a weaker position than in 2008 and difficult times could lie ahead. Esen Çağlar pointed out how Turkey progressed from a low-technology to medium-technology economy, thus ensuring considerable levels of growth. Yet, a renewed reform agenda is needed if Turkey wants to maintain its economic performance. Deniz Ünal addressed the issue of economic governance under the AKP and the consistency of their economic policy agenda. In any case, Europe will most certainly play a role in the country"s economic future. According to Rémi Bourgeot, the Middle East cannot provide an alternative to European markets even if it offers interesting opportunities for the Turkish South East. Turkey"s future growth will also depend on its capacity to impose itself as a corridor between Europe and its neighbours energy resources.

Productivity is increasingly important in the Japanese economy as an aging and shrinking population is expected to constrain labor input. Thus, the creation of innovation is critical for realizing economic growth and maintaining Japan's international competitiveness. Specifically, emerging countries such as China and South Korea are quickly catching up on Japan's level of technological prowess in electronics and other high-tech industries. For that reason, continual investment in R&D and provision of products and services that are competitive in the global market are crucial for Japan's international competitiveness.

Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.

Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.

For more than two decades, China's economy has been growing at an average rate of close to 10 percent. As a result of this stellar performance, China ascended to the rank of the world's second largest economy in 2010, surpassing Japan.

This paper traces the evolution of FDI in ASEAN and discusses future prospects for the region as a host - and increasingly home - to FDI. 

Ifri and the Canon Institute for Global Studies are launching a series of policy papers presenting the analyses of senior Japanese researchers on how the triple disasters that hit the archipelago last March have impacted Japan's economic, environmental and energy policies as well as country's crisis management system.

This first paper deals with a number of the economic challenges that have arisen following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, and considers the direction that future economic policies in Japan should take.

In late 2010, the Kan government proclaimed a very ambitious trade agenda, leaving no doubt as to its commitment to free trade. The Basic Policy on Comprehensive Economic Partnerships aimed to promote "high-level economic partnerships with major trading powers" and to "open up the country", including collecting information on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and consulting with the parties to it. 

This paper looks into natural gas pricing in the post-financial crisis market and, in particular, examines the question whether the oil-linked gas pricing system has outlived its utility as global gas markets mature and converge more rapidly than expected and as large new resources of unconventional gas shift the gas terms-of-trade.