In The News

Globalization Battle Plays Out in French Cheese Industry

Matthew Saltmarsh October 24, 2008
A great product can’t help but inspire others to follow suit. But as copies emerge, quality often declines, and such is the case with great cheeses produced and aged in France, according to traditional cheesemakers. Matthew Saltmarsh profiles Philippe Alléosse in Paris, who worries “industrial processes – from sourcing through production and distribution – are squeezing small farmers and...

Music: True Agent of Globalization

Alan Paul October 21, 2008
Many bands are cobbled together by people who share a simple desire to perform. Alan Paul describes his experiences with a blues band consisting of Chinese and American players. “We believe that with music, there is one people,” Paul announces, after stepping on stage for a Beijing music festival. Audiences respond to traditional songs, laden with meaning, from one land or the other. “To me, this...

The World's Most Utterly Failed State

October 10, 2008
Piracy is one of the oldest legacies of globalization; as goods are traded among increasingly connected peoples, others carve their place in the global economy by disrupting trade and stealing what they can on the high seas. Since the end of its "Golden Age" in the 1800s, piracy has taken on a largely nostalgic role in pop culture and travel attractions in the West, but remains a...

Why the Critics of Globalization Are Mistaken

Jagdish Bhagwati October 8, 2008
The centuries-old process of globalization – people in search of the best locations for their families, the best ideas for organizing daily life – has become an easy target in a more crowded world: workers fear factories and jobs relocating overseas, environmentalists worry about development shifted to countries with minimal enforcement, and savers fret about irresponsible spending and investment...

Pink Floyd's Money Travels Long Way to Mongolia

William Pesek October 6, 2008
Natural resources can be a boon to a nation's economy – just ask landlocked Botswana, which enjoyed tremendous growth, thanks to its diamond deposits. However, abundant minerals, gas, and oil can hinder a country's economic progress, if governments over-invest in such booming industries at the expense of building manufacturing or agricultural sectors. Without a diversified, bustling...

When Judges Make Foreign Policy

Noah Feldman October 2, 2008
US Supreme Court decisions comment on major trends, including globalization. Two perspectives have emerged from the court, notes law professor Noah Feldman, writing for the New York Times. One suggests that law “derives its legitimacy from being enacted by elected representatives of the people” and the other suggests that law aims for a “global ideal.” The US Supreme Court is divided between...

Paulson’s Moment of Truth

September 18, 2008
With major firms imperiled, the US government has had to up-end its economic policies by intervening and extending rescues to private investment banks, government-sponsored lenders and a major insurance firm. The bail-outs have added to US debt while deflating value of the US dollar. By refusing to bail out investment bank Lehman Brothers, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson signaled that...