In The News

Election Results in Turkey a Snub to the Old Guard

Sabrina Tavernise July 23, 2007
Analysts can parse election results in many ways – old guard versus new approach, military versus non-military, secular versus religious values. In the end, voters overlook symbolism and look for efficiency, solutions to problems and a better way of life. The Justice and Development Party of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did better than expected in the nation’s parliamentary...

Haves and Have-Nots of Globalization

William J. Holstein July 20, 2007
US companies that move part of their operations abroad continue to report big financial gains. Defense contractors like United Technologies, for example, report a spike in foreign sales and increased stock prices. Increasing numbers of multinational companies based in the US – including United Technologies, PepsiCo and Honeywell International – report that a majority of their sales are in foreign...

Changes in Innovation Ecology

William A. Wulf July 19, 2007
Innovation flourishes in settings that promote curiosity, respect and vision. Education, research, science, investment and good-government practices contribute to innovation. But societies must also introduce, apply and distribute the best ideas – and the infrastructure in the US that produced so much innovation during the 20th century is now broken, warns William Wulf, president of the National...

Chinese Media Star Gives Starbucks a Jolt

Mitchell Landsberg July 19, 2007
When Starbucks coffee shop opened in the Forbidden City seven years ago, China was striving to join the international economic community. Now, the country’s citizens are divided about adopting international trends versus preserving cultural and historical heritage. Rui Chenggang, a television anchor, wrote a blog entry protesting a Starbucks in the Forbidden City, claiming that it “trampled over...

Chinese Migration Goes Global

Peter Kwong July 17, 2007
One out of every six people in the world is from China, and as a result, Chinese immigrants are increasingly visible around the globe. The movement of people begins in China: As the economy booms, many rural Chinese migrate to cities seeking good jobs, but instead find tough conditions and crowds competing for jobs with low wages. Many start saving again to migrate abroad in search of opportunity...

We Should Welcome the Dawn of the Migration Age

Ban Ki-moon July 17, 2007
Globalization, like other phenomena, occurs in stages, explains Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations. In the first stage, the flow of capital and goods increased, and, for the most part, developed countries benefited. That stage prompted the age of mobility, with people crossing borders in search a better life and opportunities. Mobility has benefits – for example, remittances,...

Global Safeguards for a Global Economy

Harold Meyerson July 12, 2007
Strategies that created mass prosperity in the US and Western Europe – by establishing safety networks and consumer trust – could be applied throughout the world, suggests Washington Post columnist Harold Meyerson. He urges the creation of a global safety agency to review and offer regulations on issues ranging from unsafe food imports to climate change. Meyerson suggests that it is unrealistic...