The McKinsey Quarterly

2010

• November 2010 

  When and how provider competition can improve health care delivery

  The extent to which competition among providers can increase health care quality and control costs may depend on the clinical setting. The strongest impact may be in out-of-hospital care.

• October 2010 

  Why Europe lags behind the United States in productivity

  Regulation and market barriers continue to hold back the continent’s service sectors.

  Includes:

• September 2010 

  Transforming India’s logistics infrastructure

  To get the most from massive investments, India must adopt a coordinated approach that aligns the development of each transport mode with the country’s needs.

• July 2010 

  Comparing urbanization in China and India

  China and India are both urbanizing rapidly, but China has embraced and shaped the process, while India is still waking up to its urban realities and opportunities.

• June 2010 

  Capturing Africa’s business opportunity

  In the aftermath of the global crisis, Africa no longer seems uniquely risky. The opportunities are huge.

• June 2010 

  Checking Africa’s vital signs

  A familiarity with Africa’s demographics, economics, and business climate is essential to considering future trajectories of growth.

  Includes:

• June 2010 

  How US multinationals drive economic growth

  As one of the primary sources of economic growth, US multinational corporations could provide insights into how to sustain the US economy over the long term.

  Includes:

• June 2010 

  Making the most of Chinese aid to Africa

  It’s time to move beyond sterile arguments and accept China’s role in Africa. But it’s also time for China to enhance that role.

• June 2010 

  The case for investing in Africa

  The continent is now growing much more rapidly than the OECD nations. It may well be on the cusp of a reversal of fortunes.

• June 2010 

  What’s driving Africa’s growth

  The rate of return on foreign investment is higher in Africa than in any other developing region. Global executives and investors must pay heed.

• May 2010 

  South Africa in the spotlight: An interview with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe

  The ANC veteran discusses the state of the South African economy, the country’s progress in fighting HIV/AIDS, China’s role on the continent, and the important part that values have to play in the business world.

  Includes:

• April 2010 

  India’s high-stakes urban challenge

  The country’s cities are expanding explosively. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute considers how policy makers might respond.

  Includes:

• March 2010 

  Stabilizing Iraq’s economy: An interview with the DOD’s Paul Brinkley

  The leader of the US effort to revitalize Iraq’s economy talks about the lessons he has learned over the past three years, the relationship between economic development and security, Western misconceptions of the Middle East, and the hardest part of his job.

• March 2010 

  Where the US will find growth and jobs

  Policy makers everywhere should focus on the competitiveness of individual sectors.

  Includes:

• February 2010 

  Five myths about how to create jobs

  With unemployment hovering just below 10 percent, job creation is now priority number one in Washington. But America’s jobs challenge is a marathon, not a sprint.

• January 2010 

  Deleveraging: Now the hard part

  The challenge of managing the enormous debt burden weighing on global recovery is only just beginning.

• January 2010 

  The looming deleveraging challenge

  Several major economies are likely to face imminent deleveraging. If history is any guide, it will be a lengthy and painful process.

  Includes:

2009

• December 2009 

  Next-generation water policy for businesses and government

  The solution to water scarcity, in part, will come from new technologies for better managing water as a resource. But to make these technologies more effective, business and policy leaders will need to work more closely to implement them.

• December 2009 

  Rebuilding the American dream: An interview with Pete Peterson

  The quintessential business statesman reflects on a long career and the work needed to rebuild America’s economic future.

  Includes:

• December 2009 

  The right way to invest in infrastructure

  New thinking is needed to deliver the benefits of public-works spending and eliminate the waste.

• August 2009 

  A consumer paradigm for China

  A more consumer-centric economy would allocate capital and resources more efficiently, generate more jobs, and spread the benefits of growth more equitably. It would also even grow more rapidly.

• June 2009 

  Weighing the US government’s response to the crisis: A dialogue

  In this second installment of a three-part series, Professor Richard Rumelt and McKinsey's Lowell Bryan discuss the prospects for the economy, companies, and workers.

  Includes:

• March 2009 

  Battling childhood obesity in the US: An interview with Robert Wood Johnson’s CEO

  Risa Lavizzo-Mourey talks about the foundation's campaign against childhood obesity and its efforts to cope with the downturn.

• March 2009 

  Prospects for a global deal on climate change: Three European views

  Will governments negotiate an agreement on reducing carbon emissions at the December 2009 UN Climate Change Conference?

  Includes:

2008

• December 2008 

  An electric plan for energy resilience

  The fastest way to reduce America's dependence on oil imports is to convert petroleum-driven miles to electric ones by retrofitting the SUVs and pick-ups now on the road with rechargeable batteries. Here's how.

  Includes:

• December 2008 

  Private ownership: The real source of China’s economic miracle

  Even many Western economists think China has discovered its own road to prosperity, dependent largely on state financing and control. They are quite wrong.

• December 2008 

  Why Americans pay more for health care

  The United States spends more on health care than comparable countries do and more than its wealth would suggest. Here’s how—and why.

• September 2008 

  Health care costs: A market-based view

  Over the past 50 years, spending on health care has consistently outpaced broader economic growth. What will happen if that trend persists? What forces might accelerate or slow it?

• September 2008 

  Understanding the financial crisis of 2008: An interview with former US Treasury Secretary John Snow

  How faulty risk management caused the turmoil, and why the United States needs a new regulatory approach to the financial-services industry.

• July 2008 

  How corporate China is evolving

  China’s business landscape is changing rapidly. So must the way we comprehend it.

• July 2008 

  Meeting the challenges of China’s growing cities

  China’s cities are booming. Intelligent policies could make the good effects prevail over the bad ones.

  Includes:

• June 2008 

  The economics of solar power

  Don’t be fooled by technological uncertainty and the continued importance of regulation; solar will become more economically attractive.

  Includes:

• April 2008 

  Business strategies for climate change

  Huge value is at stake. The winners will be companies that reposition themselves to seize the opportunities of a low-carbon future.

2007

• December 2007 

  Taking stock: Ten years after the Asian financial crisis

  The Asian financial system could become a full-fledged partner in the global triad of economic powerhouses, alongside Europe and the United States—but only if its regulatory systems, economic ministries, and financial institutions improve dramatically.

  Includes:

• November 2007 

  Business beyond oil in the Middle East

  Arif Naqvi of Abraaj Capital, a Dubai-based private equity firm, explores generational change in the Middle East and its implications.

  Includes:

• November 2007 

  The impact of Asia’s emerging middle class

  Executives may be underestimating the effect on their businesses of so many new middle class consumers.

  Includes:

• October 2007 

  Clearing the way for robust growth: An interview with India’s chief economic planner

  Having helped to put India’s economy on the right track, Montek Singh Ahluwalia has now changed focus, to addressing problems with the country’s infrastructure and financial and educational systems.

• October 2007 

  Government as a business

  Ian Davis, managing director of McKinsey, talks about the public-sector productivity imperative.

  Includes:

• August 2007 

  What businesses need to know about the US current-account deficit

  The US import balancing act could continue for some time, but the correction, when it comes, will have surprising consequences. Governments and businesses should prepare for them.

• May 2007 

  A new direction for France

  As a candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy promised to reform the French economy. Now he must deliver.

• May 2007 

  Tapping Latin America’s potential in services

  While Asia booms, Latin American economies sputter. To drive significant growth, they should overhaul their policies for the service sector.

• April 2007 

  Finland's jobs challenge

  Finland's employment levels will have to rise if the country is to support its aging population.

• April 2007 

  The future of public-pension systems: An interview with the president of the Chilean Pension Reform Commission

  The chairman of a commission set up to investigate Chile’s private-pension system explains that the goal now is to supplement rather than replace it.

• March 2007 

  Extending financial services to Latin America's poor

  The president of Inter-American Development Bank argues that achieving greater "financial democracy" is crucial for achieving greater inclusiveness, improving social cohesion, and generating broad-based growth.

• March 2007 

  Promoting growth and social progress: An interview with the president of Chile

  Michelle Bachelet discusses her views on the roots of political upheaval in Latin America, and the link between economic development and the fight against poverty.

• March 2007 

  Reforming Latin American pension systems

  Pension reform and privatization have delivered benefits—shrinking deficits and greater transparency—but systems need to boost their returns and attract more workers.

• March 2007 

  The Latin American opportunity

  The way to check the populist revival is to bring the benefits of change to the mass of the population.

• March 2007 

  What executives are asking about Latin America

  Latin America's economy may not be growing as quickly as those of China or India, but it presents real opportunities, and the political risks are often exaggerated.

• February 2007 

  Getting labor policy to work in the Gulf

  For GCC states, liberalizing the labor market and developing the local workforce are the keys to moving beyond a reliance on foreign workers.

• February 2007 

  Modernizing the United Arab Emirates: An interview with Minister of Economy Lubna Al Qasimi

  Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi discusses the opportunities and challenges that the United Arab Emirates faces in diversifying its economy beyond oil.

• February 2007 

  The true value of mobile phones to developing markets

  An estimate of the economic benefits of wireless activity must include not only wireless operators but also auxiliary players and end users.

• January 2007 

  Beyond oil: Reappraising the Gulf States

  Further reform will be essential if one of the world’s fastest-growing regions is to seize a broader role in the global economy.

2006

• November 2006 

  China’s and India’s financial systems: A barrier to growth

  Reducing government interference in the financial sector and strengthening its market orientation are essential to make it allocate capital efficiently and meet the needs of savers.

• November 2006 

  What Germans want from market capitalism

  A recent poll shows that they support a performance-based society balancing a strong work and social ethic.

• August 2006 

  India's financial system: More market, less government

  A stronger financial system would make the economy grow more quickly and ensure higher tax revenues—without higher tax rates.

• June 2006 

  The road ahead for capitalism in China

  One of China's leading economists and a longtime champion of its transition to free markets says that it faces two starkly contrasting futures: a market economy under the rule of law or crony capitalism.

• February 2006 

  A silver lining in the US trade deficit JUNK

2005

• September 2005 

  Fulfilling India’s promise

  The country must take steps to boost its economic prospects, lift its living standards, and improve opportunities for the multinational companies that do business there.

• September 2005 

  India's economic agenda: An interview with Manmohan Singh

  The prime minister discusses his plans to modernize the country's infrastructure, attract foreign investment, and create jobs—all in the service of eliminating chronic poverty and disease in India.

  Includes:

• September 2005 

  Making India a global hub

  India could be a global leader in education and financial services, to name just two possibilities, asserts the IMF's chief economist—but not until it opens up to the world.

• September 2005 

  Public-private partnerships as a development engine

  Business and government should be partners, not rivals—let alone enemies.

• September 2005 

  Why believe in India

  Because it has made tremendous progress—and there's more to come.

• August 2005 

  How France can win from offshoring

  The cost benefits have started to tempt more and more French companies. Instead of resisting the trend, policy makers should explore the ways France could gain from it.

• July 2005 

  Building world-class capital markets

  Strong leadership is an essential ingredient.

• May 2005 

  Can pension plans age gracefully?

  Adair Turner, the head of the UK Pensions Commission, explains why pension reform will work only if people retire later and save more.

• May 2005 

  The economic impact of an aging Europe

  The aging of European populations will threaten living standards and prosperity.

• May 2005 

  The economic impact of an aging Japan

  The rapid aging of the Japanese population will dramatically reduce savings and wealth—and cut off an important supply of capital to the world.

• March 2005 

  A silver lining in the US trade deficit

  The successful global expansion of multinational companies is a major contributor to the trade imbalance.

• March 2005 

  The demographic deficit: How aging will reduce global wealth

  To fill the coming gap in global savings and financial wealth, households and governments will need to increase their savings rates and earn higher returns on the assets they already have.

• February 2005 

  Don't blame trade for US job losses

  A new look at US trade and employment data shows why it’s wrong to believe that foreign competition accounts for weak job growth since 2000.

• February 2005 

  Getting Belgium back to work

  Looming health care and pension costs will force the country to lure more people into the workforce.

2004

• December 2004 

  China and India: The race to growth

  The world’s two biggest developing countries are taking different paths to economic prosperity. Which is the better one?

• December 2004 

  The aging of China

  In ten years, the country’s demographics will probably look very different. How should the government and business respond?

• December 2004 

  The landlocked continent

  Europe's land-use policies limit productivity. Changing them could create jobs and boost competition.

• November 2004 

  How Germany can win from offshoring

  Offshoring could create new wealth for Germany, but only if it adopts the structural reforms needed to reemploy its displaced workers.

• August 2004 

  Broadening Indonesia’s reform agenda

  Investors are returning to the country, but will they remain?

• August 2004 

  Helping Britons work smarter

  UK workers aren’t as productive as their counterparts in other leading developed nations. It will take more than innovation to close the gap.

• August 2004 

  Making Portugal competitive

  By dismantling domestic barriers to productivity growth, the country could rise to a new level of economic development.

• August 2004 

  Poland's investment challenge

  The country has a deep pool of educated workers and is close to the markets of Western Europe, but to attract foreign companies it must bring its PR efforts and bureaucracy up to speed.

• August 2004 

  What makes a city a financial hub?

  Up-and-coming cities in Asia and Eastern Europe are eager to know how to attract multinational financial-services companies.

• July 2004 

  A richer future for India

  Two industries have shown what can be achieved when the country opens itself up to the world. Now the rest of the economy should follow suit.

• July 2004 

  China tackles urban planning

  In an effort to spur the local economy, the government of Wuhan has joined with a private investor to develop a new central business district.

• July 2004 

  Freeing India's textile industry

  The country’s government holds the key to helping its apparel manufacturers compete in the global market.

• May 2004 

  The power of productivity

  Poor countries should put their consumers first.

• February 2004 

  Integrating Southeast Asia's economies

  The region is falling behind its rivals. Turning it into a true single market would boost its competitiveness and help restore its economic luster.

• February 2004 

  The truth about foreign direct investment in emerging markets

  Developing countries think they must not only offer incentives to attract foreign direct investment but also protect their local economies by restricting the way multinationals operate. Are these countries wrong on both counts?

2003

• December 2003 

  Securing Hong Kong's future

  The current economic downturn isn’t wholly responsible for Hong Kong’s woes. Fortunately, solutions are well within reach.

• February 2003 

  Reviving French and German productivity

  Differences in IT spending are not the root cause of the gap between US and European productivity. Europe's basic problem is inappropriate regulation that hinders innovation.

2002

• August 2002 

  What Germans really think

  The people are ready for change and for the tough decisions needed to push the economy. Their leaders now have a chance to engage them in a serious dialogue about economic reform and revival.

• May 2002 

  Micro lessons for Argentina

  In Latin America, macroeconomic reform isn’t enough: sustained growth can be achieved only by removing microeconomic barriers to productivity as well.

• February 2002 

  Retail: The Wal-Mart effect

  Information technology isn’t the whole story behind productivity.

2001

• May 2001 

  Banking on US Social Security

  Private Social Security accounts will challenge financial institutions, but the opportunity is huge—and may be replicable in other countries as they reform their retirement systems.

• May 2001 

  In defense of the US current-account deficit

  Technological change generated both prosperity and the trade gap. Neither its continuation nor its decline would be likely to have catastrophic effects.

2000

• December 2000 

  Reviving Japan’s economy

  Today’s woeful economic performance is not so much a reversal of fortune as a revelation of the hollowness of Japan’s success in the 1980s.

• August 2000 

  A plan for German job creation (OL)

  In the German city of Wolfsburg, Volkswagen, the local government, and McKinsey are working together on a project, described in “A plan for German job creation,” to develop a local concentration of companies and related entities focused on the auto industry.

• June 2000 

  Hungary for reinvestment

  In a study of investments in Hungary made by 38 foreign companies, McKinsey found many of these businesses ready to reinvest there, at least under a sympathetic government.

• June 2000 

  Sustaining Poland’s hard-won prosperity

  If deregulation, privatization, and openness to outside investment continue—and the government steers clear of regulatory traps—Poland will continue to show that economic “shock therapy” can create a flourishing economy.

• February 2000 

  Reflections on Russia

  Russia privatized its economy but failed to transform it. Most of the old businesses are bad. Most of the new ones are little better. What is to be done?

• February 2000 

  The Bay leads the way

  The San Francisco Bay area, including Silicon Valley, has completed the transformation from an industrial economy into a predominantly knowledge-based one that ranks among the most productive in the world.

1999

• August 1999 

  Do-it-yourself Silicon Valley (OL)

  In much of the world, the networks of entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and service firms needed to create flourishing concentrations of high-tech businesses don’t exist. How can they be created?

1998

• November 1998 

  Restructuring South Korea’s chaebol

  The chaebol played a pivotal role in the country’s past economic success. But they are also partly responsible for its current plight. Family owners must now focus on value, not growth, and invite foreign investors onto the board.

1995

• November 1995 

  Sweden: The enemy is within

  Why has GDP growth fallen? Because 75 percent of its economy—mostly services—is protected. But not trucks, software, and banking, which are world class.

• February 1995 

  Getting telecoms privatization right

  Governments have no choice, but will they get it right? How not to wipe out 10 to 50 percent of value. Not ownership, but the trade-offs among availability, costs, and quality.

1994

• May 1994 

  Latin American productivity

  Better standards of living rest on better productivity and that, in turn, on improved managerial practice.

• May 1994 

  Learning from Mexican privatization

  What Mexico did—and did not do—can provide valuable insights for countries embarking on privatization programs.

• May 1994 

  Thoughts on the Mexican privatization experience

  An excerpt from Economic Transformation the Mexican Way.

• February 1994 

  The promise of infrastructure privatization

  For countries at all stages of development, continued economic growth often means facing up to the privatization of infrastructure.

1993

• August 1993 

  The ticking bomb at the core of Europe

  The social systems of most European countries are undermining the whole region’s competitiveness. They are in desperate need of reform.

• February 1993 

  An economic Iron Curtain?

  Turning around Eastern European companies requires decisive leadership and a time frame measured in decades, not years.

• February 1993 

  Privatizing privatization: The Polish experience

  An Interview with Janusz Lewandowski, Polish Minister of Privatization

• February 1993 

  Rethinking privatization

  Wholesale divestiture is not the only—or necessarily the best—means of transforming state enterprises in Asia.

• February 1993 

  Taking a whole economy private: An interview with Birgit Breuel

  Lessons from the economic transformation of the former East Germany.