Commerce: Global economic issues

Three ways businesses can fight sex trafficking - TED Talk

Australia

• Slavery in Canberra embassies - Sydney Morning Herald
• Modern Slavery Bill 2018 - currently before parliament
• Blockchain - could this reduce modern slavery as well as fraud?

Globally

• Modern slavery is disturbingly common - The Economist
• Hundreds of people rescued in Interpol raids - Sydney Morning Herald
• End Modern Slavery Now
• Infoguide - an excellent resource from CFR. Be sure to visit the articles at the end
• Economics of human trafficking in the UK cannabis trade

• How To Combat Modern Slavery - TED Talk
• The economic and social costs of modern slavery - UK government report 2018
• Modern slavery supply chains - The Economist 19/07/18
• Confronting root causes - Open Democracy 10/01/18
• Profitability of slavery - Harvard 12/10/17

Waste

• Does waste have value? - ABC 30/05/18
• How much plastic does it take to kill a turtle? 14 pieces - The Conversation 13/09/18

Recycling

• Recycling crisis : easy solutions to a hard problem - The Conversation 19/04/18
• On track for 50% renewables by 2025 - The Conversation 10/09/18

Even the Labor Party is crediting the Turnbull Government with a diplomatic win, for persuading the Trump administration to exempt Australia from tariffs it's set to impose on steel and aluminium.

The 7:30 Report interview with Malcolm Turnbull. Duration: 7:12

• Trump’s protectionist economic plan is nothing new -  The Atlantic 9/1/17
• How can we learn from the history of protectionism? - The Independent 6/6/18
• State interference in international trade (e.g. tariffs) - Britannica (in school only)

• The benefits of free trade agreements - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
• The idea that the US is historically a free trading country is a myth. Here's why that's a good thing - The Conversation 21/2/18
• Is free trade always the answer? - The Guardian
• Case studies - Australian free trade - Austrade.gov.au
• Making Trade Easier - World Trade Organisation

2017 World Bank report - Uncharted Waters: The New Economics of Water Scarcity and Variability

• Summary (2 pages)
• Full report (83 pages)
• Comic book version 

Australia's Foreign Aid (DFAT)

• What we give to help the world's water resource management 
• Case study - the Mekong River project

UN Water

• Water scarcity : the facts
• Case study - Solutions to water challenges in the Middle East & Northern Africa region

Conflict

• Water, security and conflict - World Resources Institute 27/08/18
• How should the global community respond?
• Global hotspots for potential water disputes - EU Science Hub 16/10/18

Problems

• Climate change and drought June 18 - Climate Council
• Social and economic impacts of drought  - Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Government Drought Support 06/18
• Drought-related stress - The Conversation 30/06/18
• Social and economic impacts of drought - ANU Centre for Social Research & Methods 05/18

Solutions

• Morrison government to establish $5 billion future fund for drought resilience - SMH 26/10/18
• Giving environmental water to farmers sounds straightforward : it's a bad idea - The Conversation 18/09/18
• Government funding for agriculture during droughts : 3 types - The Conversation 28/08/18
• Murray Darling Basin Plan (5 year assessment) - Productivity Commission Report 30/08/18

World Economic Forum

• Whose responsibility? Governments, the private sector or maybe transnational partnerships? - 27/09/18
• This is how technology could be the answer - 19/09/18
• Companies can help solve water scarcity - 15/03/18
• Farmer awarded 'alternative Nobel prize' for stopping desertification - 26/09/18

• Australia reacts : Parliamentary Briefing  - August 2016
• An economic introduction to the initiative. How will it affect us? - SMH 18/6/18
• An Australian alternative : Australia joins the infrastructure game - Australian Financial Review 18/03/18
• Skiing on the Gold Coast. Projects sign up to the initiative - ABC 5/3/18
• "A gift to copper miners" - Australian Financial Review 4/10/18
• Chinese investment in Australia drops 40% - Australian Financial Review 8/10/18

Historical comparison case study - In the first episode of the series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis starts in Venice & explores how the world has been shaped by the Silk Road. (Duration: 52:02)

Europe

• "Why are they giving us money?" Hungarian trains and Chinese money - The Age 30/06/18
• "A new version of capitalist cronyism" Czech Republic regrets being China's gateway to Europe - The Guardian 18/04/18

Asia

• Myanmar scales back Chinese-backed port project over debt fears - The Guardian 03/08/18
• "Make China great again" : the plan for Asia - The Guardian 12/05/17

• What’s in it for the Belt-and-Road countries? - The Economist 19/04/18

Africa

• Burkina Faso breaks ties with Taiwan to gain a Chinese-funded highway and hospital - SMH 8/8/18