The McKinsey Quarterly

2011

• June 2011 

  The growing US jobs challenge

  It could take more than five years—longer than after any postwar downturn—to replace the millions of jobs lost to the 2008–09 recession. How can the US rev up its job creation engine?

  Includes:

• May 2011 

  After the earthquake: A more open Japan?

  Restructuring and less fractious politics could speed the building of a more balanced and open economy.

• April 2011 

  Navigating Asia’s new urban landscape

  Understanding the region’s myriad fast-growing cities will be crucial for developing effective business strategies.

• March 2011 

  Five misconceptions about productivity

  As the US economy begins to recover, addressing some of the myths on productivity is more important than ever.

• February 2011 

  Why US productivity can grow without killing jobs

  Private-sector innovation and the spread of best practices can raise growth rates and spur employment.

  Includes:

• January 2011 

  How green are China’s cities?

  A new index shows mixed results in the country’s push for sustainable urban development.

2010

• December 2010 

  Seven priorities for the UK economy

  The keys to success include better productivity and infrastructure, as well as investment in education and health.

• August 2010 

  Can Africa continue to grow?

  A panel of regional business leaders discusses its prospects.

  Includes:

• 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.

• July 2010 

  India’s urbanization: A closer look

  An interactive map of India’s urbanization hot spots illustrates the challenges ahead. In a related podcast, McKinsey directors discuss how to prepare for the transformation.

  Includes:

• May 2010 

  After the crisis: Refining Germany’s economic model

  A McKinsey report argues that the country should exit the recession by building on its strengths.

• May 2010 

  China’s state capitalism and multinationals: An interview with the president of Eurasia Group

  Ian Bremmer discusses the changing rules of competition in China, where the state is the principal actor and arbiter in the economy.

  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:

• April 2010 

  South Korea: Finding its place on the world stage

  Five essays from leading thinkers explore the country’s present and future.

• February 2010 

  Is the renminbi the next global currency?

  Geng Xiao, director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy, discusses how divergent growth rates of the Chinese and US economies will erode the hegemony of dollar—but not right away.

  Includes:

• 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

• October 2009 

  Preparing for the next Asia

  Stephen Roach explains how the next two decades will bring dramatic changes to the region.

  Includes:

• September 2009 

  How Russia could be more productive

  The way out of the economic slowdown is a more effective use of the country’s resources—not just more resources.

  Includes:

• 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.

• August 2009 

  China’s consumption challenge

  A panel of leading Chinese economists debates proposals to stoke private consumption in the world’s fastest-growing economy.

  Includes:

• August 2009 

  Japan’s luxury shoppers move on

  The Japanese consumer’s seemingly insatiable appetite for luxury goods has declined, so companies in this sector must rethink the way they compete.

• August 2009 

  Unlocking the power of Chinese consumers: An interview with Stephen Roach

  Morgan Stanley Asia’s chairman discusses the roots and prospects of China’s next revolution.

  Includes:

• June 2009 

  How US consumer spending is changing

  After two decades of unsustainably high spending, US consumers are suddenly behaving pretty much as they have in the past.

• May 2009 

  China’s ‘sticky floor’

  Economic success in China will hinge on fixing the gender inequality among its workers.

  Includes:

• May 2009 

  Helping US consumers rethink retirement

  The economic crisis has left US consumers anxious and less prepared than ever for retirement, yet few are changing course.

• May 2009 

  Is China recession proof?

  A panel of leading Chinese economists explains how the world’s fastest-growing economy keeps expanding despite the global downturn.

  Includes:

• April 2009 

  How health care costs contribute to income disparity in the United States

  Recent trends in health care costs, health care coverage, and household income have contributed to growing disparities between different income groups in the United States.

• March 2009 

  Improving Japan’s health care system

  Japan needs the right prescription for providing its citizens with high-quality health care at an affordable price.

• March 2009 

  The economic impact of increased US savings

  US consumers are spending less and saving more. The economic impact of that combination will depend upon how fast incomes grow.

• February 2009 

  Promoting energy efficiency in the developing world

  Developing economies have a huge opportunity to strengthen their economic prospects by boosting their energy productivity.

• January 2009 

  China and India: The power of complementary cultures

  Tarun Khanna says their common optimistic entrepreneurialism makes them a formidable force.

  Includes:

• January 2009 

  What’s holding China back?

  Former trade negotiator Long Yongtu discusses China’s globalization challenge.

  Includes:

2008

• 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.

• November 2008 

  Growth and stability in China: An interview with UBS’s chief Asia economist

  Will the country’s economic fortunes fade as growth elsewhere declines? Jonathan Anderson doesn’t think so.

  Includes:

• November 2008 

  Why baby boomers will need to work longer

  Most US baby boomers are not prepared for their retirement, and neither are the US and world economies. Boomers can help mitigate the consequences by remaining in the workforce beyond the traditional retirement age.

• July 2008 

  China’s urbanization challenge

  A McKinsey Global Institute documentary probes the opportunities and policy choices posed by the biggest urbanization wave in history.

  Includes:

• 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:

• May 2008 

  Investing the Gulf's oil profits windfall

  Despite many uncertainties, the GCC states will probably be able to finance their own investment needs and those of the world economy to boot.

  Includes:

• February 2008 

  Long-term trends in the global capital markets

  Several current trends will continue to influence the world’s financial markets long after the present bout of turbulence ends.

2007

• November 2007 

  A strategy for the Gulf

  Kito de Boer, a McKinsey director, examines the strategic and practical policy questions now facing oil-rich Middle East states.

  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 

  Serving aging baby boomers

  Baby boomers have rewritten the rules at every stage of their lives. They will rewrite the rules of retirement as well.

  Includes:

• October 2007 

  India’s executives: Confident in their economy and eager to hire

  Executives in India are consistently the world’s most optimistic about their country’s economic prospects, McKinsey research shows.

• October 2007 

  Securing India’s place in the global economy

  GDP growth is soaring, and India’s economic reforms are bearing fruit. But there’s much left to do.

• August 2007 

  Tracking the growth of India’s middle class

  Over the next two decades, the country’s middle class will grow from about 5 percent of the population to more than 40 percent and create the world’s fifth-largest consumer market.

  Includes:

• March 2007 

  Checking Latin America's vital signs

  Recent growth has given Latin America the economic health to tackle its pressing challenges: poverty, educational needs, and business-choking red tape.

• March 2007 

  Five priorities for Brazil's economy

  To enter the ranks of the world’s leading economies, the country must remove entrenched barriers to productivity.

• 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 

  Shedding light on the Gulf's middle class

  Little is known about the middle class in the GCC states, but a recent survey illuminates the hopes, fears, and expectations of this important segment.

• 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

• 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 

  Checking China's vital signs: The social challenge

  China's performance in meeting its key social challenges shows how far it has come and how far it has yet to go.

• June 2006 

  Sweden's growth paradox

  Productivity is rising, but the level of employment among working-age people actually declined from 1992 to 2003.

2005

• September 2005 

  Checking India's vital signs

  A graphic look at India's economic progress and problems.

  Includes:

• February 2005 

  Beyond cheap labor: Lessons for developing economies

  How can middle-income countries like Mexico compete with China? By adding higher value.

2004

• December 2004 

  Checking China's vital signs

  A graphic look at the country’s remarkable economic transition.

• December 2004 

  Making foreign investment work for China

  The radically different experience of two industries shows that the country needs more competition as well.

• August 2004 

  Making Portugal competitive

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

• 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.

• 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.

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.

• December 2003 

  Turkey’s quest for stable growth

  Turkey has come a long way, but the informal economy, macroeconomic and political instability, and state ownership continue to hold it back.

• 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

• 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 

  What's right with the US economy

  The secret behind the new economy isn’t information technology but old-fashioned competition and managerial innovation.

2001

• December 2001 

  India— From emerging to surging

  In a decade, the country could more than double its gross domestic product per capita—but only if its government and people act quickly and decisively.

• December 2001 

  Photo essay: Visions of India

  Award-winning photographer Swapan Parekh portrays a workforce poised between old ways and new.

• December 2001 

  Thailand's chance for no-pain gain

  The recovery is fading, but fundamental economic reform could help Thailand avoid Japan’s fate.

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.

• 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?

1998

• November 1998 

  Why is labor productivity in the United Kingdom so low?

  There’s not enough competition. The major culprit is product market regulation. Can social objectives be achieved at lower cost?

• August 1998 

  Will Brazil seize its future?

  Per capita income could double in ten years. But first the country must solve a big problem: low productivity. Case studies of eight industries show what can be done.

• May 1998 

  The roots of Korea’s crisis

  The best manufacturing technology did not lead to high productivity. Now is the time for deregulation. But it must embrace both manufacturing and services.

1997

• November 1997 

  Boosting Dutch economic performance

  Despite the headlines, the Netherlands still trails other economies. But it could create one and a half million new jobs over the next decade. Six barriers stand in the way.

• May 1997 

  Germany and France: Confronting the costs of social policies

  A new study establishes the case for improving productivity. It’s time to recognize that regulation has not preserved incomes, provided access to services, or prevented job losses. An analysis of six industries: automotive, housing construction, telecom, retail banking, retail, and computer software.

1996

• February 1996 

  What ails Australia?

  Government regulation is partially to blame; so are the low aspirations of business leaders. Here are case studies in retailing, banking, aviation, construction, and processed food.

1995

• May 1995 

  India and China: Asia’s non-identical twins

  Sleeping Beauty versus Dungeons and Dragons. Why regional approaches aren’t working. An analysis of telecoms, pharmaceuticals, steel, paper, and food.

1994

• May 1994 

  Latin American productivity

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

• February 1994 

  China’s high road to economic development

  An excerpt from China: The Next Economic Superpower.

1993

• May 1993 

  A fresh look at India

  India’s economy now offers huge opportunities for pioneers with the will to create markets and industries.