middle class

As the world gets richer, competition for resources like water and livestock will likely increase. Photo: Erin Gray for MercyCorps

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Extreme poverty could end by 2030, but the planet might pay for it

The world’s soaring wealth will nearly wipe out poverty worldwide by 2030, according to the National Intelligence Council.

As the world's consumers get richer, older, more urban and more demanding, small companies will see more and more rewards for exporting their goods. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/5978367807/in/photostream/">USDA (Flickr)</a>

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How 'itty-bitty multinantionals' can serve the world's rising middle class

The global consumer market is changing, and big companies are taking notice.

Costa Rica topped the 2012 Happy Planet Index of global wealth largely due to its environmental protection policies. Photo: Erik Mandell for MercyCorps

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Who is really rich? Measuring beyond GDP

By one measurement, Costa Rica is now the richest country on earth. That may sound surprising, but less-orthodox indices are looking beyond GDP to see which countries are the wealthiest.

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Who makes up the global middle class? Economists aren’t sure

We know that economists don’t always agree on the best path to prosperity.

Jeffrey Garten explored the massive shifts taking place in the global economy with an audience at<a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/portland"> Mercy Corps' Action Center</a>. Photo: Kyla Springer/Mercy Corps.

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Yale economist to world: Don't panic. Embrace uncertainty and innovation.

Presented by Jeffrey Garten at Mercy Corps

The world is not ending, and the sky is not falling. But the rise of the global South and East promises to reward the world's most innovative risk-takers.

A flourishing economy has enabled many Chinese citizens to climb the socio-economic ranks. Photo:<a href="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3054/2928911826_e8754e82e2_s.jpg">xiaming (flickr)</a>

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As China's middle class rises, so does social discontent

The spirit of 1989’s Tiananmen Square is alive in China, except the swarm of charged students has been replaced by a disgruntled, expanding middle class.

Inadvertently, an economic boom has resounded with cries for change.

Gap opens in Shanghai. Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kreep/">kreep (flickr)</a>

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Made in China: A slowly emerging consumer class

What would happen if you took off every article of clothing not made in America? asks ABC at New York’s Grand Central Station (video).
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China had the most mobile subscribers in the world in 2010 with over 850 million subscriptions. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/triciawang/4108015868/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Tricia Wang 王圣捷 (flickr)</a>

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China's Microblogging Middle Class

As the Chinese government attempts to keep its grip on the web, China’s middle class is pushing back.

This entrepreneur owns a telecentre in Tanzania and is among the small business owners in the unique position to create change for Africa's poor. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/iicd/5349103222/lightbox/">IICD (flickr)</a>

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Why Africa's Middle Class Matters

They own apartments instead of huts. They exploit technology to organize revolutions. They are Africa’s new middle class — and they are still living on less than $20 a day.

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Comment of the Week: Slumdog Millionaire Ignites Conversation

Cynthia Changyit Levin's comment about how the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire has sparked conversation and shined a light on poverty in India caught our eye.

Brazil is experiencing an economic boom. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/adam79/1423511472/">adam79 (flickr)</a>

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Brazil's Boom

While much of the world fights off fears of recession and economic stagnation, Brazil is having an economic boom. Its steady growth rate has boosted production and has made Brazil a major player in world trade.

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Chasing the American Dream

Last week I had a conversation with an exchange student from China. She told me that China is earnestly striving to achieve a similar status as that of the United States. She clearly stated that China wants to be taken seriously as a fully-developed nation.

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