An Overview of the Global Economy: Markets, Competitiveness and Trade Facilitation. Executive Interview: The Honorable Carole L. Brookins, U.S. Executive Director to the World Bank, 2001-2005

The global economy is growing increasingly more integrated. The dawn of the 21st century was marked with cutting edge technologies creating the platform for greater connectivity and competition among global markets. The evolving economic paradigm is re-defining the way products are moving across markets, regions and continents. The combined effect of technological advances, global political economy and seasonal weather variability has called for dynamism in the way businesses are run. The potential benefit of this development is that it could culminate into increased productivity through the involvement of more people in economic activities across the globe, and the development of new efficiencies and new technologies to better manage our environment and create the right economic blocs. This synopsis is an interview conducted with the Honorable Carole L. Brookins, former Executive Director to the World Bank, 2001-2005. The objective was to relate current and evolving global economic trends to their importance on markets, competitiveness and trade facilitation across the globe. This interview was conducted at the 16th Annual World Forum, Symposium and Case Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina in June, 2006.