Across the world, business leaders, policy makers and ordinary citizens are coming together to effect change and create a better tomorrow. As they look to what worked in the past, they face the future knowing that growing pains are inevitable. In this special report, students from the Joseph H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies traveled the globe to offer unique perspectives gleaned from interviews, observation and research into the ways countries are confronting change on a global scale.

Dive into the politics of culture as developing economies work to redefine their identity in the face of unprecedented global change. A similar struggle is taking place across Europe, where the resettlement of millions of refugees is raising tough questions about how to integrate them into society.

All countries seek to expand their economies, but the best path forward isn’t always clear. The divergent interests of stakeholders, budgetary constraints, history, ideology and other factors combine to create formidable obstacles to growth. In Brazil, for example, the national bank is working to emerge from a recent scandal, redefine itself and establish new ways of doing business that will help spur the economy. Meanwhile, a project in South Africa is helping black entrepreneurs hurdle the legacy barriers left from the days of apartheid.

Technology also poses a challenge for nations just trying to keep up with the lightning speed of change. E-commerce and big data have the potential to revolutionize business in Brazil and Colombia, but success requires a heavy investment in infrastructure.  Finally, environmental concerns are causing the public and private sectors to re-evaluate the impact of human activity.

Table of Contents:

The Politics of Culture

  • Making ‘Womenomics’ Work: Encouraging Employment Equality in Japan
  • Refugees in France and Germany: Governmental and Nongovernmental Support
  • The Economic and Social Dimensions of India’s Cow Politics
  • Avianca and the Airline Industry in Colombia
  • Lobbying in Russia
  • Has South Korea Transformed from an Economic Miracle to ‘Hell Chosun’ for Millennials?
  • A Brewing Battle: Craft Beer in China
  • Forty Years of the Gaokao: Revisiting China’s College Entrance Exam and Education System

The Struggle for Economic Growth

  • BNDES: A Development Bank at a Crossroads
  • The Informal Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Is a Unified European Welfare State Possible?
  • Can Brazil Become an Attractive Investment Destination?
  • The Awethu Project: Creating Opportunity for South African Entrepreneurs
  • China’s Belt and Road Initiative
  • Refining Palates: Colombian Coffee’s Transition in the Third Wave
  • Boosting Direct Investments in Developing Nations

The Power of Technology

  • Intellectual Property Rights in China: The Critical Driver for an Innovative Economy
  • An Analysis of Colombia’s Tech-enabled Food Delivery Market
  • Brazil’s Fintech Opportunities

The Impact of Environmental Change

  • Is Brazil’s Future Green?
  • Three Lessons Learned from Going Green: A Comparative Perspective