In The News

Nagging Doubts About the Benefits of Globalization, and a Look at the Evidence

September 20, 2004
The phenomenon of "outsourcing" still fans the flames of much heated debate in both Europe and North America. At once praised and vilified, it has crept into all levels of discourse and political rhetoric. Some economists, led by Nobel laureate Paul Samuelson, have argued that by facilitating business and technological growth abroad, outsourcing companies may be sowing the seeds of...

Muslim World's Brush with Democracy Turns into an Embrace

Jonathan Power September 20, 2004
Contrary to popular Western belief, free elections in largely Muslim states would not lead to domination by violent terrorist regimes, argues columnist Jonathan Power in this Khaleej Times article. Indonesia and Turkey are shining examples of Muslim nations that have used the democratic system to oust militants and put stable moderates in office. With an increasingly freer media, the governments...

The Road to Madness

Ibrahim Nafie September 17, 2004
After the fall of communism, did Western politicians and intellectuals chose to paint Islam as the next great threat to civilization? So claims Ibrahim Nafie, chairman of Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly newspaper, in a new book. Nafie argues that US policymakers, fueled by racist hysteria and a desire for strategic control of Middle Eastern resources, have attempted to "reconfigure economic,...

US to Rejoin Coffee Pact

September 15, 2004
Poverty-stricken coffee farmers in developing countries are struggling with their inability to compete with in the global marketplace. The London-based International Coffee Organization (ICO), an intergovernmental cooperative, has worked to improve conditions for those involved in the coffee trade. The United States, protesting ICO's price controls, pulled out of the collective in the...

Is Equity in Trade an Attainable Goal?

Susan Ariel Aaronson September 15, 2004
As developing countries struggle to survive in the competitive global market, many wonder if the current system is inherently biased against them. Groups like Oxfam International, a prominent development organization, aim to remedy what they regard as structural failures in the world economy by reforming trade relations among nations. Globalization scholar Susan Ariel Aaronson suggests that...

Measure first, then cut

September 9, 2004
Bad regulations rarely make headlines, but a new study by the World Bank, "Doing Business in 2005," shows that excessive red tape is one of the chief obstacles to growth in almost all poor countries. Pointless regulations often foster corruption, as firms and individuals have a greater incentive to bribe officials not to enforce them. Entrepreneurs suffer the most, not only from...

The Great Reverse – Part III

Anna Greenspan September 8, 2004
While headlines in the West bemoan job outsourcing to China and India, they ignore a far more profound economic shift: the growth of business partnerships between these two rising economies. In the final installment of our three-part series, "The Great Reverse," globalization scholar Anna Greenspan writes that leaders and entrepreneurs in both Asian countries are bridging political...