The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.When students graduate from university they are employed in equal numbers. Move up the ladder a few rungs and the number of women in high powered positions has fallen dramatically.Women make up just 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and still generally get paid less than their male counterparts.Barbara Becks ask why this is and what can be done about it. She covers:Closing the gapFemale labour markets: The cashier and the carpenterA world of bluestockingsWork and family: Baby bluesTop jobs: Too many suitsWomen in China: The sky's the limitLooking ahead: Here's to the next half-century

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.In the US, the average age of a gamer is 37 and 42% are female. Last year the industry earned $56billion worldwide. Tim Cross analyses the proliferation of the video games in this Economist special report, and how its successes are set to grow. Sections in the report include:All the world's a gameAs you like itThe business of gaming: Thinking out of the boxPaying for pixels E-sports: Gentlemen, start your computersViolence and addiction: No killer appAlternative uses: The play's the thingThe importance of fun: Homo ludens

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Twenty years ago one gigabyte of memory cost $200,000. Now, a terabyte (1000 gigabytes) costs a mere $100.Technology permeates our everyday lives and never more so than with our portable, personal devices. Businesses are struggling to keep up with their employees' technological abilities and demands.In Personal Technology, Martin Giles unpicks the changing landscape of technology, examining apps, new devices and their effect on world trade. In the following sections, he explains how technology and the economy are becoming inextricably linked and how this has resulted in the birth of the new, digital age.Beyond the PCConsumerisation: The power of manyApps on tapPersonal technology at work: IT's Arab springAdapting personal IT for business: The consumer-industrial complexDroid warsUbiquitous computing: Up closeTechnology and society: Here comes anyware

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Is financial innovation good or bad?Did it cause the financial crisis of 2007/2008?Are the current financial systems working for a stable global economy?Andrew Palmer answers these questions in his special report, but urges that it's more that just a debate on whether financial innovation does or doesn't work. In fact, he claims, it is almost impossible to draw these distinctions.Using a variety of examples - from social bonds to securitisations risks - he highlights the weaknesses in innovative strategies, revealing how some innovation is doomed to failure.The consequences of innovation are now so crucial and so scrutinised - it is essential reading for anyone in the business world.Sections include:Playing with fireThe ferment of financeThe little guyFrom vanilla to rocky roadThe fast and furiousOf plumbing and promisesOn the side of the angelsSafety first

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.'The line up for next year's change of leadership does not give cause for optimism' says James Miles, the Economist's China correspondent.With a heavily state owned banking system, waning numbers of workers in a labour intensive industrial economy and lack of development in new business, China's current boom may be set to bust. In the following sections, James Miles examines the restrictive nature of government in China, and what it will mean for the country and the rest of the world.Urbanisation: Where do you live?Rising power, anxious stateChina's new leaders: The princelings are comingGrowth prospects: Beware the middle-income trapDeng & CoGovernment's role in industry: The long arm of the stateDemography: Getting onIdeological battles: Universalists v exceptionalists

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Globalisation and technology are changing the structure of the labour market. Now, companies have the choice to recruit from further afield and without the need for traditional office workers. Matthew Bishop explores how companies can, and will, recruit employees in the future and how individuals can get ahead in this era of change.Sections include:The great mismatchLabour-market trends: Winners and losersBottom of the pyramidSelf-help: My big fat careerFree-for-allCompanies' concerns: Got talent?The role of government: Lending a handA better balance: More feast, less famine

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Pakistan is in a tricky situation. It is under constant scrutiny by the world media but is more often than not described in terms of its problems.There are indeed difficulties - bordering the unsettled nations of Afghanistan and Iran puts it in a precarious position. A poor and badly educated population for the most part is not helping the country's growth.There is hope.The wealth of natural resources, a growing, urban population and a more democratic government all point to a positive future.But with the NATO withdrawal from its troubled neighbours nearing, Pakistan's survival hangs in the balance.Simon Long's special report includes the following sections:Perilous JourneyToo close for comfortState of vulnerabilityCaptain's inningsIn the shadow of the mosqueLights offA taste of HunnyAlways with usDripping with bloodGoing with the flow

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.As Western liberalist capitalism flounders in the wake of global recession, state backed companies are slowly taking over.The melding of the power of the state and the power of capitalism is on the rise. Prevalent in the emerging economies of China, Russia and Brazil, some of the world's most powerful companies are state owned. The 13 biggest oil firms are government controlled. China Mobile has over 600million customers and the Emirates airlines is growing at 20% a year.However, despite the numerous successes, Adrian Wooldridge urges caution. He asks whether it could easily survive if confronted with difficulty, criticises the embedded corruption and cronyism and asks whether a fair trading system is possible to maintain with government favoured business.Slowly but surely, the invisible hand of the market is being usurped by the visible, often authoritarian, hand of state capitalism.Sections include:The visible handSomething old, something new - a brief history of state capitalismNew masters of the universe - how state enterprise is spreadingTheme and variations - state capitalism is not all the sameMixed bag - infrastructure and innovationThe world in their hands - state capitalism looks outward and inwardAnd the winner is - fatal flaws

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Raúl Castro is changing Cuba. Recognising the limits that the Soviet style economy places upon the Cuban people, he is allowing the market greater freedoms. A new, private sector is emerging and is expected to employ around 25% of the labour force by 2015.What will these changes mean for foreign business and for Cuba's position on the global stage?As there doesn't seem to be a Castro successor and the party is pressured by the younger generation and the digital world, where will Cuba be in ten years time?This report will reflect on the likelihood and impact of political and economic change on the island - essential reading for anyone involved in the region.Sections include:Revolution in retreatThe deal's off - growing inequalitiesHasta la vista, baby - a disappearing populationEdging towards capitalism - slow reformGrandmother's footsteps - political changeThe Miami mirror - Cuba and MiamiThe biological factor - what next for the Castro dynasty?

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.When students graduate from university they are employed in equal numbers. Move up the ladder a few rungs and the number of women in high powered positions has fallen dramatically.Women make up just 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and still generally get paid less than their male counterparts.Barbara Becks ask why this is and what can be done about it. She covers:Closing the gapFemale labour markets: The cashier and the carpenterA world of bluestockingsWork and family: Baby bluesTop jobs: Too many suitsWomen in China: The sky's the limitLooking ahead: Here's to the next half-century

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.In the US, the average age of a gamer is 37 and 42% are female. Last year the industry earned $56billion worldwide. Tim Cross analyses the proliferation of the video games in this Economist special report, and how its successes are set to grow. Sections in the report include:All the world's a gameAs you like itThe business of gaming: Thinking out of the boxPaying for pixels E-sports: Gentlemen, start your computersViolence and addiction: No killer appAlternative uses: The play's the thingThe importance of fun: Homo ludens

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Twenty years ago one gigabyte of memory cost $200,000. Now, a terabyte (1000 gigabytes) costs a mere $100.Technology permeates our everyday lives and never more so than with our portable, personal devices. Businesses are struggling to keep up with their employees' technological abilities and demands.In Personal Technology, Martin Giles unpicks the changing landscape of technology, examining apps, new devices and their effect on world trade. In the following sections, he explains how technology and the economy are becoming inextricably linked and how this has resulted in the birth of the new, digital age.Beyond the PCConsumerisation: The power of manyApps on tapPersonal technology at work: IT's Arab springAdapting personal IT for business: The consumer-industrial complexDroid warsUbiquitous computing: Up closeTechnology and society: Here comes anyware

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Is financial innovation good or bad?Did it cause the financial crisis of 2007/2008?Are the current financial systems working for a stable global economy?Andrew Palmer answers these questions in his special report, but urges that it's more that just a debate on whether financial innovation does or doesn't work. In fact, he claims, it is almost impossible to draw these distinctions.Using a variety of examples - from social bonds to securitisations risks - he highlights the weaknesses in innovative strategies, revealing how some innovation is doomed to failure.The consequences of innovation are now so crucial and so scrutinised - it is essential reading for anyone in the business world.Sections include:Playing with fireThe ferment of financeThe little guyFrom vanilla to rocky roadThe fast and furiousOf plumbing and promisesOn the side of the angelsSafety first

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.'The line up for next year's change of leadership does not give cause for optimism' says James Miles, the Economist's China correspondent.With a heavily state owned banking system, waning numbers of workers in a labour intensive industrial economy and lack of development in new business, China's current boom may be set to bust. In the following sections, James Miles examines the restrictive nature of government in China, and what it will mean for the country and the rest of the world.Urbanisation: Where do you live?Rising power, anxious stateChina's new leaders: The princelings are comingGrowth prospects: Beware the middle-income trapDeng & CoGovernment's role in industry: The long arm of the stateDemography: Getting onIdeological battles: Universalists v exceptionalists

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Globalisation and technology are changing the structure of the labour market. Now, companies have the choice to recruit from further afield and without the need for traditional office workers. Matthew Bishop explores how companies can, and will, recruit employees in the future and how individuals can get ahead in this era of change.Sections include:The great mismatchLabour-market trends: Winners and losersBottom of the pyramidSelf-help: My big fat careerFree-for-allCompanies' concerns: Got talent?The role of government: Lending a handA better balance: More feast, less famine

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Pakistan is in a tricky situation. It is under constant scrutiny by the world media but is more often than not described in terms of its problems.There are indeed difficulties - bordering the unsettled nations of Afghanistan and Iran puts it in a precarious position. A poor and badly educated population for the most part is not helping the country's growth.There is hope.The wealth of natural resources, a growing, urban population and a more democratic government all point to a positive future.But with the NATO withdrawal from its troubled neighbours nearing, Pakistan's survival hangs in the balance.Simon Long's special report includes the following sections:Perilous JourneyToo close for comfortState of vulnerabilityCaptain's inningsIn the shadow of the mosqueLights offA taste of HunnyAlways with usDripping with bloodGoing with the flow

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.As Western liberalist capitalism flounders in the wake of global recession, state backed companies are slowly taking over.The melding of the power of the state and the power of capitalism is on the rise. Prevalent in the emerging economies of China, Russia and Brazil, some of the world's most powerful companies are state owned. The 13 biggest oil firms are government controlled. China Mobile has over 600million customers and the Emirates airlines is growing at 20% a year.However, despite the numerous successes, Adrian Wooldridge urges caution. He asks whether it could easily survive if confronted with difficulty, criticises the embedded corruption and cronyism and asks whether a fair trading system is possible to maintain with government favoured business.Slowly but surely, the invisible hand of the market is being usurped by the visible, often authoritarian, hand of state capitalism.Sections include:The visible handSomething old, something new - a brief history of state capitalismNew masters of the universe - how state enterprise is spreadingTheme and variations - state capitalism is not all the sameMixed bag - infrastructure and innovationThe world in their hands - state capitalism looks outward and inwardAnd the winner is - fatal flaws

The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.Raúl Castro is changing Cuba. Recognising the limits that the Soviet style economy places upon the Cuban people, he is allowing the market greater freedoms. A new, private sector is emerging and is expected to employ around 25% of the labour force by 2015.What will these changes mean for foreign business and for Cuba's position on the global stage?As there doesn't seem to be a Castro successor and the party is pressured by the younger generation and the digital world, where will Cuba be in ten years time?This report will reflect on the likelihood and impact of political and economic change on the island - essential reading for anyone involved in the region.Sections include:Revolution in retreatThe deal's off - growing inequalitiesHasta la vista, baby - a disappearing populationEdging towards capitalism - slow reformGrandmother's footsteps - political changeThe Miami mirror - Cuba and MiamiThe biological factor - what next for the Castro dynasty?