Author Archives: Tim Roemer

Improving Cities in India

Davos is famous for creativity, "new thinking" and proposing out-of-the-box paradigms. I was highly optimistic that a private lunch session organized by www.indialogues.in, (titled "Design and Innovation: Enablers of India's Urban Future") would throw off sparks of fire to motivate and seed progress for improved city life. After all, India is faced with tens of millions of people every year moving from villages to urban environments and now has significant housing, infrastructure, and planning challenges. The question is one of architects, designers, and planners (civil society) helping engender opportunity, mobility, and dignity for the emerging middle class of a nation. Key areas of interest include:
Posted on January 28, 2012 By Tim Roemer
Categories  Global Development Musings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

From Davos: The Problems, Difficulties and Woes of Europe

The problems, difficulties, and woes of Europe continued to dominate discussions and presentations in Davos. British Prime Minister David Cameron spoke to the gathering and noted Europe's drag on the world economy as China grows at 8 percent, India at more than 7 percent and Africa at general rate of about 5 1/2 percent. He cautioned the audience that "fear of failure should not hold us back--we require boldness, not caution." He urged other European nations to tackle difficult issues like Britain has embraced, such as acting aggressively to reform public-sector pensions. He said only by taking on the tough budget issues can Europe gain vital economic credibility and get ahead of the market. He claimed that too many EU countries are less competitive today than they were one year ago, and they have imposed far too many "burdens on business" and relied heavily on financial transaction taxes.
Posted on January 28, 2012 By Tim Roemer
Categories  EU Policy | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Patiently Watching India’s Rise

I started off the morning at a breakfast forum titled "Are You Ready for Asia," and the discussion was promising and highly optimistic about global business opportunities in the region. India is still growing at a 7.50-percent rate (with some individual states at 10 percent) and China is cooling off at 8 percent. One panelist pledged that India will spend $1 trillion on infrastructure in the next 6-8 years. When the issue of the mulitbrand retail rollout and abrupt pull-back was raised to a prominent Indian business leader, he confidently predicted that this proposal (allowing retail companies like WalMart to enter into the market) would be re-visited and subsequently passed in six months. While this would be great news, it underscores the lessons of practicing patience, doing your political due diligence, and realizing the volatility in the environment for these major transactions.
Posted on January 26, 2012 By Tim Roemer
Categories  Foreign Policy Trade | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The World’s “Big Economic Headache”

One of the keynote speakers, Dr. Angela Merkel, spoke to the attendees at Davos with a message sprinkled with stark realism regarding the difficult challenges facing Europeans yet encouraging them to reach for "new methods" to build for a more prosperous future. She asked Europe to learn lessons from the current crisis and help define what their role will be in shaping the future of the world. While Europe currently comprises about 7 percent of the world's population and 20 percent of the GDP, it is probably perceived as the " big economic headache" for the world economy right now, she lamented to the crowd.
Posted on January 25, 2012 By Tim Roemer
Categories  EU Policy European Politics Finance Foreign Policy | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment