In The News

French NGOs Push to Save African Chicken Farmers from Europe

October 18, 2004
According to a French non-governmental organization, the developed European poultry industry sells cheap produce to African countries, undercutting domestic markets. Industry leaders within Europe claim that African nations have the option of creating import taxes, and that cheap produce is a boon to countries with weak purchasing power. The French group, however, says that imposing tariffs is...

Disney Is Tailoring New Park to Fit Hong Kong Sensitivities

Keith Bradsher October 13, 2004
Hong Kong's version of Disneyland, slated to open in the next year, will contain many cultural aspects created specifically with Chinese visitors in mind. The management is taking pains to incorporate indigenous interests into what is generally recognized as an American enterprise: selling local foods, repositioning the park for feng shui agreement, and operating in English, Mandarin, and...

Where Have All the Protesters Gone?

James H. Mittelman October 4, 2004
The prevalent discourse on globalization seems to feature two sides pitted irrevocably against each other: supporters – corporate proponents of hi-tech, free-market promises – and the opposition – gangs of dreadlocked youth engaged in rowdy demonstrations. Yet this polarization of "boardroom versus protesters" is a caricature of a more complicated reality. Globalization scholar James...

Rwanda Savors the Rewards of Coffee Production

Carter Dougherty July 27, 2004
In the mid-1990’s global coffee production skyrocketed, leading to falling prices and the impoverishment of many of the world’s coffee growers. At the same time, however, specialty coffee began capturing a larger share of the American market and created great wealth for growers in countries like Rwanda, where high altitude and rich soil allow for the growth of quality coffee. Beyond fortuitous...

The Big Chill

Clare Longrigg July 14, 2004
The big fridge, product of 1950’s and 60’s American suburbia, has made its way across the pond. British sales of the larger, American refrigerators are booming, specifically in the double-door variety which now constitutes 8% of the growth of the British cooling business. Increased popularity of these appliances is based on interest among a clientele of affluent professionals and young families...

The Meat Politics is Made Of

Gamal Nkrumah July 9, 2004
Amid the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan is making headlines in Egypt for another reason: beef exports. Recently the prices of Egyptian meat have been increasing due to a combination of a weak Egyptian pound in relation to the American dollar and the fact that fodder used to feed Egyptian livestock is purchased from the US. Sudanese livestock, however, is cheaper because it is grass-fed...

US Shrimpers Still Carping

Jane Bussey July 7, 2004
The shrimping industry across eight Southern US states has filed antidumping complaints against countries in both Latin America and Asia. On Tuesday two of those complaints, against China and Vietnam, were recognized as legitimate when the US Commerce Department's International Trade Administration recommended punitive duties. Though these duties cannot be imposed without a final ruling by...