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Matters Financial |
16 February 2004
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President's Economic Report Approves of International Outsourcing
The invention of "political-economy" as an academic term occurred because both politics and economics are about the use and abuse of power and because it is necessary sometimes for economists to examine political issues and for political scientists to examine economic ideas. This year's Economic Report of the President would have benefited from such an overlap in its discussion of international outsourcing. Click here to read more.
East African Customs Union Still on Hold
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda combined have 90 million people, a market big enough to matter. So the idea that there should be a customs union among the three makes sense. The leaders of the three nations were to sign that deal back in November but was postponed due to illness on the part of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa. A second attempt at signing was sidelined last week, but the reason this time seems to be cold feet in Uganda's business community. They should get over it. Click here to read more.
ComCast Bids for Disney
The pages of financial history are littered with mergers that failed to deliver more than they promised. AOL-Time Warner was such a disaster that AOL has been dropped from the company name. DaimlerChrysler hasn't been quite that unhappy, but the culture clash has held the company back. So, is ComCast's bid for Disney a disaster waiting to happen? The jury is out on this one. Click here for our view.