In The News

Obama's Trade Policy Taking Shape – Part I

Edward Gresser September 14, 2009
For all the furor about the US’ proposed tariff on Chinese car tires, the end result is more likely to be a whimper, according to trade specialist Edward Gresser of the Democratic Leadership Council in Washington. It is unlikely that this tariff will set off the next trade war, igniting a global depression similar to the 1930s precisely because such tariffs are usual and allowed by the WTO....

Just When Africa’s Luck Was Changing

Ron Nixon August 6, 2009
Contrary to the initial belief that Africa would escape the impact of the credit crisis because of its little to no investment in the global subprime market, the continent is feeling the pinch. According to the World Bank, African economies will grow at a meager 3 percent this year compared to 6 percent from 2004 to 2008. What the credit crisis has done is to force investors around the world to...

Capitalism’s Future Lies in Networks and Cooperation

Farok Contractor April 20, 2009
In the past, adversarial competition and in-house design and production typified the climate and model for business success. Today, that climate has changed, according to management professor Farok Contractor. Cooperation and networks are the new tools for success in the global economy for a whole host of reasons. First, many projects are so large that one company cannot possibly shoulder the...

Another Fine Mess

February 3, 2009
As European banks receive another round of government assurances, the purpose of funding is to insure toxic assets and stimulate lending. Despite protests from some quarters of society, these bailout packages, by shifting default risk from the banks to the governments that back them, have kept fear of bank runs at bay, according to an article in the Economist. Still, not enough credit is flowing...

Global Downturn Dooms Prestige Construction Projects

Uwe Klußmann January 20, 2009
Architecture reflects a society’s values and aspirations for how governments, businesses and families might make use of space. With the 21st century emerged a desire around the globe to display wealth and power quickly, explains an article prepared by staff of Spiegel Online, and “Yearnings for pomp and prestige were transformed into architecture.” But the global credit crisis and recession, as...

Many in Denial Over Rising Population

Mark O'Connor January 2, 2009
As 2008 came to a close, government leaders fretted about ongoing conflicts and economic crisis. But few admit that a climbing population exacerbates any problems, argues Mark O’Connor in an essay for the Sydney Morning Herald. O’Connor’s essay focuses on Australia as one of the few developed nations that reports an above-average birth rate. A larger population results in more pressure for the...

When Chocolate Is a Way of Life

Jill Santopietro November 20, 2008
The Quichua people of Ecuador are no longer simply cultivators of cacao, transforming their role into manufacturers and owners, by forming their own cooperative known as Kallari. “Chocolate making has always been less common in cacao producing countries than it has been in Europe, where the technology to create chocolate bars was developed and where such a luxury could be more easily afforded,”...