The Whitehall Briefing (leaked in January but only officially released this month) is not the last word on the potential long-term economic impact of Brexit, despite claims from others that it ‘proves’ GDP will be lower in ‘all’ scenarios. As the report itself says, it is only ‘draft...

The weak global GDP growth since the financial crisis in 2007-2009 has coincided with unusually weak growth in global trade. Organisations that monitor international macro-economic development have identified growing protectionism – not least the increase in non-tariff barriers to trade, such...

This second of a series of seven papers co-authored by M. Nicolas J. Firzli and David Weeks looks at the notions of private markets – PE, VC, private debt and infrastructure – and the "quest for yields" in a low interest rates environment, which where discussed at two recent global...

The debate surrounding the United Kingdom leaving the European Union has focussed on negotiations between the parties. But there are many important actions that the UK government can take in preparation for leaving the EU customs union and pursuing an independent trade policy. These include...

The East African Community (EAC) is working towards establishing deeper integrationbetween its six partner states. The EAC partner states are: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda,South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. This paper analyses the lessons the EuropeanUnion may offer the EAC in guarding against base...

This paper co-authored by M. Nicolas J. Firzli and David Weeks looks at the notions of long-term asset allocation and the ‘quest for yields’ from the perspective of AUS, European and North American pension investors and board members (trustees), which where discussed at two recent global...

The small states of the Asia and Pacific region face unique challenges in raising their growth potential and living standards relative to other small states due to their small populations, geographical isolation and dispersion, narrow export and production bases, exposure to shocks, and heavy...

The rapid rise of private asset markets has been one of the most remarkable phenomena in the institutional investment space since the start of the Great Recession (2008 – 2014). This trend is contributing to a pro-found transformation of the financial ecosystem as a whole. This unprecedented...

The article gives a general overview of the process of forming a customs union among three Soviet successor states – Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. Following some theoretical considerations, the author outlines the evolution of the idea of customs union within the CIS. Thereafter, he analyses...