In The News

For People and Planet

Al Gore April 3, 2006
Current business practices take little account of environmental costs, and such neglect will impose huge costs and decreased standards of living for future generations. Too many businesses, investors and consumers continue to act as though natural resources – oil, minerals, clean water – are unlimited. Sustainable development could be the driving force of industrial and economic change over the...

Time for Russia to Join the WTO?

Bruce Stokes February 24, 2006
With immense oil revenues and growing foreign investment, Russia is positioning itself to join the WTO. However, Russia’s membership largely depends on the US, and Congress granting Russia permanent trading partner status later this year could clarify Russia’s chances for WTO membership. But many US companies and interests still have concerns about Russia’s readiness for WTO privileges. The...

Boom Town

Adam Nicolson February 13, 2006
The future of the modern world is being raised, literally, from the sandy depths of the waters surrounding the city of Dubai. A developer’s paradise, this fastest-growing city in the world is open to all with a checkbook and an imagination. Dubai, centered between the rising powers of the East and the traditional powers of the West, is man-made, from its sky-high towers and luxury ski resorts in...

SHIN Deal: Is National Security Compromised?

February 9, 2006
In a move that reportedly skirts laws concerning foreign ownership of assets designated strategic or sensitive, Singapore’s state investment arm has acquired a near-majority stake in a Thai telecommunications conglomerate. The deal between Temasek and Shin Corp. has raised alarm in Thailand over privacy and security, especially since Temasek’s investment gives it indirect control over a...

The Future of Outsourcing

Pete Engardio February 1, 2006
In recent years, the specter of outsourcing has haunted US business and labor. Much as competition from China and Mexico decimated the US manufacturing base, remote call centers and consulting firms flourishing in India and elsewhere in the developing world could put thousands of white-collar middle-class jobs in peril. Desperate to cut corners and costs, many leaders of US corporations became...

Europe’s Improving Economy Still Faces Some Hurdles Amid Global Competition

Marcus Walker January 24, 2006
With exports to the US, Asia, and oil-producing countries boosting corporate profits, Europe’s economy has attracted increasing optimism ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos this week. Wall Street Journal reporter Marcus Walker, however, warns us not to “count on Europe to float the global economy yet.” Cheap global competition—particularly from China and Eastern Europe—has inhibited...

International Migration: Brain Drain or Brain Gain?

Caglar Ozden October 31, 2005
The surge in globalization since the end of World War II has been fueled chiefly by an international exchange of goods and capital rather than people. There are signs, however, that international migrants are playing an increasingly important role in globalization as the world enters the twenty-first century. What are the costs and benefits of this new wave of migration? The principal cost of...