In The News

Building an Independent and Self-Reliant Economy in Globalization

November 1, 2003
The ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam has confirmed that globalization is an inevitable trend. Consequently, the Communist Party has launched a policy that fosters integration with the global economy. A commentary in the official radio station Voice of Vietnam says that the country can work to use globalization to its benefit. Necessary ingredients to this success...

Transcript of 'Global Challenges'

William J. Clinton October 31, 2003
The following is a full transcript of the public address, "Global Challenges," given by former US President William J. Clinton at Yale University on October 31, 2003.

Foreign Investment Isn't Enough

Jeffrey Kentor October 31, 2003
Although neoliberals argue that foreign investment spurs growth in developing countries, critics say high amounts of foreign capital may in fact retard development in the long-term. In a new study, economic sociologists Jeffrey Kentor and Terry Boswell suggest that both positions are incorrect, or at least partially so. Foreign investment is not a foolproof stimulant of economic growth, but...

Multinational Corporations: Pro or Con?

Gauri Bhatia October 29, 2003
India's love-hate relationship with multi-national corporations (MNCs) is more complicated than simple fear of big, faceless companies. MNCs bring jobs (but also "hire-and-fire" policies), consumer choice (that push traditional foods out of the market), and brand-name products (which is feared to lead to 'US-worship'). The recent environmental and health debacles in...

Following the Pepper Grinder All the Way to Its Source

R. W. Apple Jr. October 29, 2003
If it had not possessed such a monopoly over pepper during Europe’s Age of Exploration, “India might well never have been colonized at all,” remarks the managing director of Cochin Spices. His company is a modern-day link between the world’s most ubiquitous spice and its oldest source. They buy raw pepper from local farmers in southwest India, where the spice originated, and process it....

Bolivia's Poor Proclaim Abiding Distrust of Globalization

Larry Rohter October 17, 2003
In a civil conflict that has already left more than 80 Bolivians dead this month, protestors have turned the issue of natural gas export through Chile to the United States into an indictment of globalization. Calling for the resignation of President Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, demonstrators are sending a powerful message – a resounding "no to the export of gas and other natural resources; no...

We Have to Make Globalization Work for All

Joseph Stiglitz October 17, 2003
Why has globalization gained such a bad reputation? It was once the phenomenon supposed to 'save' the world system and provide a framework for global equality and integration. So is the concept inherently flawed, or does the fault lie with the implementation of policies? Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz asks these questions and reflects on what went wrong with globalization during the...