Feeding the Hungry Dragon: Canada, Mongolia and China’s Resource Strategy

While Canada ponders whether, and on what conditions, to approve CNOOC’s bid for Nexen Inc., it might consider the consequences of getting the decision wrong. A failure to encourage state-owned enterprises (SOEs) like CNOOC to invest in the risk (and returns) of resource development – while simultaneously setting clear and transparent guidelines for such investment – can have a significant negative economic impact and send mixed signals not only to Chinese investors, but also to other players in the market. The case of China’s northern neighbour, Mongolia, is a case in point and a cautionary tale.

Speed Dating or Serious Courtship? Canada and State-Owned Enterprises

If Canada wants to benefit from Asia’s long-term growth potential, there is no getting around the need to do business, carefully, with state-owned enterprises (SOEs), according to a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Speed Dating or Serious Courtship? Canada and Foreign State-Owned Enterprises,” author Daniel Schwanen discusses how Canada can address concerns about the potential impacts of investment by foreign SOEs in Canadian companies. 

Forging a New Strategic Partnership between Canada and Mexico

The visit to Ottawa by Mexico’s President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto the week of November 26, provides Canada with the opportunity to elevate its bilateral relationship with Mexico to the level of a strategic partnership. Bilateral trade and investment have increased steadily since Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement, but there remains enormous, untapped potential, particularly in Mexico. This report offers substantive recommendations that point to the benefit of efforts that will intensify bilateral partnerships, not only in their own right, but also in strengthening both countries’ ability to deal more effectively with the United States in pursuing matters of mutual concern.

Canada’s Supply-Managed Dairy Policy: How Do We Compare?

In Canada, a long-standing, complex supply management system sets milk prices at the farm level and limits milk supply and dairy imports. Other countries also developed interventionist policies in the mid-20th century to respond to surplus milk and low dairy prices, but most shifted to more liberalized policies in the 1980s. This briefing compares the developments in interventionist dairy policies and the fluctuations in dairy production in Canada with that in the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand. Those four countries (and others) are now involved in trade talks with Canada. This comparison of peer country dairy sectors provides background on where different countries are coming from in trade negotiations and presents a variety of models to consider as Canada contemplates reform of its own system.

The Endgame for the Euro: Fresh Insights, but the Options Remain the Same

Europe’s financial crisis continues to rock the global economy. How will it play out? What are the options? Conference Board Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist Glen Hodgson recently travelled to Berlin to speak at the renowned Kiel Institute’s annual autumn economic conference, which this year was entitled “Persistent Crisis, Sluggish Growth.” The conference provided Hodgson with a chance to learn about the crisis first-hand from those at the centre of the storm and to examine further the endgame for the euro. The result is The Endgame for the Euro: Fresh Insights, but the Options Remain the Same, which updates an earlier briefing on the future of the eurozone and the three “unattractive options” facing its members.

Trends in the mining and metals industry

Even with today’s uncertain economic outlook, population growth and the speed of urbanization in China and Asian countries has created continuing demand for minerals and metals. At the same time, the centres of mining activity have been moving from developed to developing countries. For example, Latin America accounts for 25% of current production and 28% of mining investments today.

This InBrief provides a forward looking discussion of trends likely to govern the evolution of the industry over the next decade.

The role of mining in national economies

In 2010, the value of global minerals production was four times higher than in 2002. At the same time, there are 40 countries with significant dependence on mineral exports. Thirty of those are low or middle income countries and many have low Human Development Index scores.

This data demonstrates that mining has a significant and growing role to play in economic development in general and poverty reduction in particular. Evidence from ICMM case studies in Chile, Ghana and Brazil illustrates that mining areas have enjoyed stronger poverty reduction and social development performance than non-mining areas.

This InBrief examines the contribution of mining activities to the economies of 212 countries and is part of ICMM’s ‘Mining’s contribution to sustainable development’ series.

Who Dimmed the Lights? Canada’s Declining Global Competitiveness Ranking

This briefing provides and overview of the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness rankings. It examines Canada’s current competitiveness, and highlights several obstacles that continue to prevent Canada from becoming a more competitive and productive country.

Freedom on the Net 2012

This report is the third in a series of comprehensive studies of internet freedom around the globe and covers developments in 47 countries that occurred between January 2011 and May 2012. Over 50 researchers, nearly all based in the countries they analyzed, contributed to the project by researching laws and practices relevant to the internet, testing the accessibility of select websites, and interviewing a wide range of sources.

This year’s findings indicate that restrictions on internet freedom in many countries have continued to grow, though the methods of control are slowly evolving, becoming more sophisticated and less visible. Brutal attacks against bloggers, politically motivated surveillance, proactive manipulation of web content, and restrictive laws regulating speech online are among the diverse threats to internet freedom emerging over the past two years. Nevertheless, several notable victories have also occurred as a result of greater activism by civil society, technology companies, and independent courts, illustrating that efforts to advance internet freedom can yield results.