Trade

Fair-trade farmers like these in Ghana benefit from mid-level lending. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/crankyshooter1/230070463/">Crankyshooter1 (flickr)</a>

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A Lending Program for the 'Missing Middle'

What prevents many subsistence farmers from taking their business to the next level? Access to capital.

This UNDP Human Development Report graph shows the decline of Zimbabwe's Human Development Index rating -- a number based on three indicators: health, education and income. Photo: <a href="http://hdr.undp.org/en/data/trends/">UNHDR</a>

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In Times of Record High Inflation, Bartering is Back

When inflation climbs so high that your national bank notes lose their value, how do you pay for a visit to the doctor?

Tunnel workers prepare to lower someone into the tunnels. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoriah/3178786921/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Zoriah (flickr)</a>

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Blockade Ease Not Necessarily Helping Palestine

The tunnels in Gaza were an invention of necessity. They flourished during a three-year blockade of goods from Israel into Palestine. Trade had to come from somewhere.

India is teeming with shops like this one, in Bhuj, Gujarat. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63138333@N00/2116683385/in/photostream/">orange tuesday (flickr)</a>

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India Vs. China Continued...

India is expecting 8.5 percent growth this year. Several experts say that soon India's growth will surpass that of China. The Economist explores what this means for the India verses China debate in last week's issue.

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India Vs. China Continued...

India is expecting 8.5 percent growth this year. Several experts say that soon India's growth will surpass that of China. The Economist explores what that means for the India verses China debate in last week's issue.

Everyday life on the Congo. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_harneis/1873760858/">Julien Harneis (Flickr)</a>

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The Congo's 'River of Life'

The River has seen everything: poverty, political chaos, violence. It has been mythicized in great stories of expeditions (see Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness) and exploited by outsiders.

Pakistan, known for its textiles, would like the freedom to sell these wares in foreign countries, not just in local shops. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benny_lin/4564466986/in/photostream/">Benny Lin (flickr)</a>

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To Aid or Trade?

After environmental disasters, nations often rush to pledge relief aid. But how well-meaning are these donations?

China's many factories are one aspect of its booming economy that propelled it to Number Two. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinmanuel/2702626549/in/photostream/">Collin Manuel (Flickr)</a>

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China Takes Number Two Spot

China’s consistently high growth rates, strong exports, and expanding industrial sector have been turning heads.

Trading inter-continentally on the African continent is more expensive than exporting goods overseas. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/koffiemetkoek/308832517/sizes/m/">Koffiemetkoek (flickr)</a>.

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Keepin' Trade Homemade

Business in Africa is exploding like never before. And yet, trade barriers from one African country to another remain startling high.

Mexican police carry child out of the way during a gun battle with the drug cartels. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24388163@N08/3141600647/">Jorge Duenes (Flickr)</a>

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Drug Violence Derails Mexico's Economic Recovery

Not surprisingly, Mexico's economy shrank during the global recession.

Palestinian children ride a pair of dyed donkeys in the Mara Land Zoo. An authentic zebra would have been too expensive to smuggle. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasmastik/4138782760/"/>REUTERS/Mohammed Salem(flickr)</a>

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Israel's Blockade A "Death Penalty" for Business in Gaza

War has left the Gaza Strip in shambles, but bombs and bullets are only part of the disaster. The Israeli blockade of Gaza has also created a crisis for business in the region.

A worker makes a lens for a digital camera in a Chinese factory. Rising wages could contribute to the growth of sophisticated manufacturing jobs in China. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boolean">Robert S. Donovan (Flickr)</a>

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When Profit isn't "Made in China"

In China, wages are rising and the cost of labor is increasing. The consequences of this trend are affecting different economic groups in ways that spell significant changes for China’s economy.