In The News

Harvesting Poverty

November 11, 2003
A rift is splitting the American farm lobby, separating those farmers that can prosper on their own and those that rely on subsidies, this editorial in The New York Times argues. This rupture has been catalyzed by the proposal to cap the amount individual farmers can receive in government aid, a move supported by many smaller farmers but feared by their larger counterparts. Currently, the...

Caught in the Pull of Globalization

Aaron Davis November 10, 2003
White collar jobs are moving with increasing rapidity from US soil to India, China, and other major Asian players. Corporations can pay less than half an American employee's wage for the same work and, they argue, can free up American workers for more "interesting" jobs. Labor interests in the US fear this trend, claiming that jobs are leaving "overnight" or while...

Economic Paradox of Ghana's Poverty

Michael Weainstein November 9, 2003
Western leaders have long claimed that poor countries can lift their citizens out of poverty simply by shifting to competitive markets. Yet in sub-Saharan Africa, countries that have opened up to competition remain hopelessly mired in poverty. And this lack pf progress cannot always be blamed on corrupt domestic institutions or civil strife. Take Ghana – a relatively corruption-free, stable...

The Future of Migration - Part Two

Lant Pritchett November 9, 2003
In Part II of a two-part series on the future of migration, economist Lant Pritchett argues that the forces building up to another wave of mass migration face opposition in the form of ideas. Simply put, he says, "the primary reason there is not more migration is that the citizens of the industrialized world don't want it." People in the industrialized world - the main...

Healthy Dose of Capitalism?

Fatemah Farag November 7, 2003
Occupational hazards are a global problem. The International Labor Organization estimates that two million women and men die as a result of occupational accidents and work-related diseases each year, eliminating four percent of the world's GDP. This weekend, a UN-led conference in Germany brought together non-governmental organizations, international businesses, and labor leaders to discuss...

The Reformers Must Always Go

Kristina Merkner November 7, 2003
At the general assembly of the Club of Madrid, a group of former heads of state and government officials, former Polish President Hanna Suchocka expressed optimism about Poland's accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004. While excited about Poland's new membership in the EU, Ms. Suchocka was aware of the potential problems that might arise once the country's 10-year old market...

President Bush Discusses Freedom in Iraq and Middle East

George W. Bush November 6, 2003
President Bush challenged Middle Eastern countries – allies and enemies alike – to embrace democracy and recognize the fall of Saddam Hussein as "a watershed event in the global democratic revolution." In a speech given in honor of the 20th anniversary of the National Endowment for Democracy, Bush aligned his administration's intentions in Iraq with efforts to establish democracy...