Ben T. Smith IV, a longtime Silicon Valley executive and currently head of the Communications, Media and Technology practice at Kearney, speaks to Global Finance about the post-SVB venture capital industry and the pace of innovation.
Many of the world's richest countries are also the world's smallest: the pandemic and the global economic slowdown barely made a dent in their huge wealth.
Global Finance editor Andrea Fiano interviews Ásgeir Jónsson, Central Bank Governor of Iceland during Global Finance's World's Best Bank Awards at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on October 15th.
Those countries that adapt well to changing economic environments and embrace new developments are more likely to boast high productivity, according to think tank The Conference Board of Canada. During the crisis in 2008 and 2009, OECD productivity contracted by 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively. This reversed in 2010. Russia had one of the greatest global productivity rises in 2011 (4.2%), along with Poland (3.5%). In addition to examining growth rates, it is also important to consider actual productivity levels—Chile, Mexico and Russia ranked lowest for productivity in 2011—bringing in $20.40, $20.40 and $22.10 per hour worked, respectively.
With tensions between Japan and China escalating—and anti-Japan protests increasing in Beijing—over rights to islands in the East China Sea, is the dispute having a negative impact on trade?