It’s time to face the fact that the globally integrated economy is both undesirable and unachievable, says Zac Goldsmith. It’s time to change direction to prevent further social and environmental breakdown. It’s time for a new agenda – and a new system of world leadership – Until quite recently, concern about the state of the…

Is the free-market system good for developing countries? Is it actively harming their development? Or is there a third and better way? Nancy Birdsall says there are no easy answers in the debate over globalization – Will globalization narrow the gap between rich and poor countries? Is it good for development in the world’s poor…

Can we find better ways of governing our planet? Is the present system inadequate for tackling the world’s problems with the urgency, purpose and focus that they demand? What new system could be devised? What are the most pressing global issues and how can they be dealt with? And why would any new set-up stand…

If president George W Bush would only live up to his own words at the UN and commit the US to fighting poverty, disaster and disease, says Jeffrey Sachs, he could mobilize billions of people in the war on terror and make the world a much safer place. – The great leaders of the World…

Building trust – Trust is the foundation of all personal relationships. It is the foundation of all business. It is the foundation of all international relations. In our increasingly interconnected world, trust is the rock on which we all depend. Without it, there can be no respect, no security, no spirit of partnership or cooperation….

The hype about the new economy is over. But the economic effect is real – and lasting. Laura Tyson examines the reasons for substantially higher productivity growth in the US than in Europe or Japan over the past few years, the sustainability of that growth and its implications for the global economic outlook – After…

The mismanagement of Japan’s economy has caused no shortage of suffering for the Japanese people. But the “no gain without pain” argument is economic nonsense, says Andrew Smithers. Other countries faced with deflation and stagnation must learn from Japan’s many mistakes – Japan provides sound reasons for global concern. This is not solely because of…

Since 9/11, the fight against financial crime has been co-opted into the war on terror. Rich countries have stepped up their campaigns to combat money laundering, tax evasion and offshore finance. But critics say they have picked the wrong targets and question the motives. By Nicholas Kochan – From a plush office in Paris, a…

Leon Levy, a legendary Wall Street investor and financier, spent more than 50 years waiting for his own bubble to come. In an extract from his recently published book The Mind of Wall Street, he describes why financial markets and psychology are inextricably linked – and why this three-year downturn is far from over –…