In The News

China's Imperial New Consumers

May 2, 2013
The world’s most populous nation has 1.3 billion consumers and plenty of purchasing power – enough to buy one seventh of the world’s total products by 2015, reports the Asia Sentinel. Foreign investors should be aware of trends in the Chinese market, as identified by a study from the Samsung Economic Research Institute. Hundreds of millions of young Chinese have migrated from rural to urban...

140 Countries Ranked on Openness to Foreigners

Katka Lapelosa April 11, 2013
A warm welcome depends on the place – and the visitor. The World Economic Forum released the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report for 2013, and the Washington Post prepared a GIS map based on data collected from a single-question survey: “How welcome are foreign visitors in your country?” The question may be too broad, vague and subjective, suggests Katka Lapelosa for Matador Network....

Pope Francis, Known for Simplicity and Conservatism

Anthony Faiola March 14, 2013
Early reports about Pope Francis point to an anti-globalization streak, in that he has spoken out against the “evils of globalization.” But such characterizations center on a narrow definition of globalization, restricting the phenomenon to financial activities. In his first address, Pope Francis asked, “Let us pray for the whole world that there might be a great sense of brotherhood.” The...

GitHub Revolution: We’re All in Open Source Now

Mikeal Rogers March 8, 2013
Open source software is freely available to all, and new potential is discovered daily by companies, cities, and individuals ranging from artists to developers who work with software code. GitHub, an open software platform for collaboration, “is doing to open source what the internet did to the publishing industry,” explains Mikeal Rogers, an advocate for open source programming, for Wired. “As...

The World Wants Vancouverism – Shouldn’t Canada?

Doug Saunders March 5, 2013
The city of Vancouver touts its diversity, green initiatives, parks and mass transit and remains a popular destination for immigrants, who account for 40 percent of the metropolitan population. Vancouver has managed fast-growing urbanization with good planning that includes eliminating vast parking lots. “Vancouver has been remade dramatically, rendered into a thickly vertical city jammed with...

The Choice: More Immigrants or Fewer Citizens?

Joseph Chamie March 4, 2013
Low fertility rates among countries lead to population decline and higher proportions of older citizens. So the countries with such demographics face a choice: allowing more immigrants, along with the revenue, services and cultural influences they bring or accepting the population decline and economic contraction. “Currently, about 76 countries, including Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Iran, Sweden...

Marketing Berbers Abroad – Avenue for Cultural Preservation?

Jonathan Gifford February 28, 2013
While globalization can have an antithetical role to the preservation of indigenous cultures, a Berlin fashion label has recently played a pivotal role in protecting a native Berber sewing technique. Andrea Kolb, founder of the fashion label Abury, says she conceived of the idea a few years ago, after friends commented enthusiastically on a Berber-made embroidered leather bag purchased on a visit...